And It Went Like (Lemonade Mouth)
by smolwritergurl
Summary: This is a rewrite of Lemonade Mouth with some expected changes. This is also on my Wattpad so if you would like to read it on there, my username is weirdwritergurl anyway make sure to favorite and follow, plus let me know if I should put some of my other fanfics on here
1. How It All Started

****So you should all know that the whole movie is from Olivia's POV soo it staying the same. And I don't know if I'm gonna switch POVs but for now, it's only Olivia's.****

_Poets. Geniuses. Revolutionaries._

_Lemonade Mouth has been called all of these things. But the thing most people don't know is how our band came to be. Would you believe me if I told you all started...here._

_I know what your thinking, but don't say anything until I explain._

_Stella Yamada: Lead Guitar_  
_Wen Gifford: Keyboard _  
_Mo Banjaree: Bass_  
_Charlie Delgado: Drum God!_  
_And me, Olivia White: future frontman for Lemonade Mouth_  
_It was this ragtag group of 5 that started it all._

"All right, I have decided, rather than let you twiddle your little thumbs for the next hour, we are going to put those thumbs to good use. We're gonna clean up around here. We're gonna unpack, and we're gonna turn this storage room into a music room", our music teacher/detention monitor, Miss Reznick rants. "I mean, we might as well make the best of it, right? I mean, we've been banished to the basement" _Bathroom noises _"Did you hear that?" "Ooh" "You know what, if they spent a fraction of what that new gymnasium cost to keep this music program alive, I-" _More bathroom noises. _"Ooh, that is it, that is it"  
_But if I'm gonna tell you this right, I need to go back to the beginning, the morning it all began. _

****I'm lazy so I'm not gonna write what happened but you all know their stories, if you watched the movie, so this is going back to the present.****

"I am gonna give Brenigan a piece of mind, and while I do, I want you guys to just start cleaning up or something around here", Miss Reznick says, leaving the room. "She can't make us clean", Stella argues, when she's sure Miss Reznick is nowhere to be seen. "It's cruel and unusual punishment."

"Welcome to high school", Charlie replies. _Drip _"This school stinks", Stella states."Can you guys just do what Miss Reznick asked and be quiet? Okay? I'm not getting another detention because of you people", Mo says, moving some boxes. I start moving boxes too, as well as Wen. Charlie's trying to be chill and sit at his desk, impatiently tapping his fingers on the desk ****(I had to look up what he was doing ****?****)****.

With the combination of the dripping of the leaking roof, Charlie tapping his fingers and then snapping them, it had a nice beat to it. Wen was tossing keys in the air, for some reason?. Then, there was me trying to put away some sheet music thinking to myself, _what are these guys doing and why am I here with them. _

Mo had a spray bottle, trying to clean a bass and she just started spraying it which was weird. Stella started clapping with the sprays. _SO WEIRD! _Charlie gets out his drumsticks and starts banging them together, it was then I remembered he had his own drum set. I was still staring at them. Mo then, picked up the stand up bass and started playing it. Wen started playing the xylophone and Charlie went behind the drums. These guys are weird.

Stella grabs a guitar and starts playing it. I finally start singing.

_Na na na na na, na na_

_Take a look around  
Who would have thought we'd all be here?  
So let's mess around  
'Cause the future is unclear  
We got nothing better to do  
We just trying to get through  
Can you hear me?  
Can you hear me?  
Yeah_

_Let the music groove you  
Let the melody move you  
Feel the beat and just let go  
Get the rhythm into your soul  
Let the music take you_  
_Anywhere it wants to  
When we're stuck and can't get free  
No matter what we'll still be singing_

_Come on come on  
Turn up the music  
It's all we got  
We're gonna use it  
Come on come on  
Turn up the music  
Yeah_

_All we have is now  
Let's make the most of this  
Come on break it out_  
_So everyone can hear it  
They don't have to understand  
But we'll make 'em if we can  
Do you hear me?  
Are you with me?  
Yeah_

_Let the music groove you_  
_Let the melody move you  
Feel the beat and just let go  
Get the rhythm into your soul  
Let the music take you  
Anywhere it wants to  
When we're stuck and can't get free  
No matter what we'll still be singing_

_Come on come on  
Turn up the music  
It's all we got  
We're gonna use it  
Come on come on  
Turn up the music  
Yeah_

_Come on come on  
Turn up the music  
It's all we got  
We're gonna use it  
Come on come on  
Turn up the music_

_Let the music groove you  
Let the melody move you  
Feel the beat and just let go  
Get the rhythm into your soul  
Let the music take you  
Anywhere it wants to  
When we're stuck and can't get free  
No matter what we'll still be singing_

_Come on come on  
Turn up the music  
It's all we got  
We're gonna use it  
Feel the beat and just let go  
Get the rhythm into your soul_

_Let the music take you  
Anywhere it wants to  
Come on come on  
Turn up the music  
Yeah_

****Also if u wanna listen to it:****

We were so into the music that we didn't know Miss Reznick was right behind us. "Oh I'm really sorry. We just started to, um...", Mo explains, scurrying to her desk. Miss Reznick shushed Charlie and Wen. "Shh! Let me think. I need to think", Miss Reznick orders. "You", she says, pointing at me. "Yeah, I'm just gonna sit down", I reply. "Olivia", she says, following me. "Olivia, you have a beautiful voice, Aah!" " Your band, it's a gift", she tells us.

"We're not a band", Stella tells her. "We don't even know each other", Charlie says. "You were meant to play together. It's.. its destiny. Oh come on, you don't have a moment like that and just ignore it", Miss Reznick tells us. _Yes we can, _I say in my head. "People, they need to hear you", Miss Reznick begs. "Sure, that'll show Brenigan..that's with show Brenigan...That's it! Rising Star!" "Rising what?", Stella asks. "Rising Star", I answer. "It's a talent competition, winner gets a record deal", Mo pipes up. "And some serious air time", Charlie finishes. "Making tomorrow's stars today, making to- making to-", Wen raps.

"Just think, you guys", Miss Reznick says, ignoring Wen. "You can show everyone around here, that sports isn't the only thing that matters" "So. What do you think? You in?", Miss Reznick asks Stella. "Pass", Stella answers. "What?", Miss Reznick asks. "It's ridiculous", Stella replies.

"Okay", Miss Reznick says, going to Mo's desk. "I really can't. Between my AP classes and violin lessons...", Mo answers. Then Miss Reznick goes to Charlie's desk. "Yeah, I've -I've got stuff", Charlie tells her. "Stuff", Miss Reznick mocks him. Then, she comes to my desk. "Okay, well, then, what about you, Olivia?", she asks me. I look up at her. " I don't sing", I admit. "Uh, we just heard you sing", she replies, matter-of-factly. "Well yeah, but that wasn't real, like on stage, I can't do that", I say looking down.

"Sure you can", Miss Reznick replies. "No, no, trust me, it wouldn't be pretty. The last time I performed onstage was my first grade recital and five minutes into "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" I threw up down Mikey Nichols' back", I admit. "Ha, yeah I remember that. That was hilarious", Wen says, laughing. "No, it's was humiliating", I reply. "I'm sorry, I can't"

"Well I guess that counts me out, right?", Wen asks. "I mean you can't really enter a competition with one man in a band. You know unless you're thinking of a solo career, which I'd be happy to consider" "Guys Mudslide Crush are entering, we wouldn't have a shot", Charlie says. "He's right. They're amazing", Mo agrees. "They're not that amazing", Charlie murmurs.

"Well, if we don't stand a chance against these Mudslide guys, then why bother, right?", Stella asks. "Because, you said it yourself, you deserve to be heard", Miss Reznick replies. After that weird day, I was thinking about what Miss Reznick said about Rising Star. "Gram?", I ask, opening the door. "Gram" "Oh, Olivia, sweetie", Gram says, when I approach her. "Oh, how's Nancy doing?", I ask. "Oh she still hasn't eaten", she replies. "Nance, come on, you need to eat. You need to eat, old girl", I beg. "Come on, girl. Come on. Look, yum"


	2. Fluke or Destiny?

I'm at my locker when I get a text.

_Fluke or Destiny? We need to talk_  
_ -Stella_

"You think it's about the band", Wen asks me. He totally scares me. "Oh, I-", I say, banging myself on all the desks as I walk away. We agreed to meet at Dante's Pizzeria after school.

"We talked about this", Mo says. "It's not gonna happen." "Sure it is", Stella replies. "I signed us up for Rising Star this morning." "We're not experienced enough", Mo argues. "Which is why I also signed us up for the Halloween Bash", Stella says, matter-of-factly. I choke on my Pepsi. The Halloween Bash. Holy crap.

"What?", Charlie asks. "Wait, how'd you pull that off", Wen asks Stella. "It's amazing what a principal will agree to if he thinks his new "problem student" is channeling her energy into something productive", Stella answers.

"Goofing around in detention does not make us a band", Mo says. "So we'll practice", Stella replies. Geez, Stella really wants this band. "You have your own drums, right?", Stella asks Charlie. "Yeah", Charlie replies. "See", Stella tells Mo. "I didn't even know that." "Ok, so, what are we gonna play?", I ask the others.

"You could write our songs", Wen answers. "Me?", I ask. I don't know if he's being serious. "Yeah. That one you did the other day was pretty amazing", Wen replies. "That was nothing. I think I'm gonna be sick", I say, looking at my pizza. "Wait. We can't play the Bash. Mudslide Crush is playing", Mo observes.

"And we are opening for the them", Stella replies. "I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I don't wanna be some random face in the yearbook. Or a kid people vaguely recall passing in the halls. I wanna be heard."

"Wen and I are in, who's with us?", Stella asks. "I'll give it a shot", Mo says. "Really", Stella asks. "Yeah, but only if everyone else agrees", Mo answers. "Just one practice. If it works, great. If it doesn't, I'm out." All eyes turn to me. "Come on. Say you'll try", Stella pleads. "Please" "It'll be fun", Mo tells me. "Pretty please with sugar on top?", Stella pleads again. _When will I have this much fun again, _I think to myself.

"Okay, Okay, I'll do it", I reply. "Yess!", Stella screams. Then all eyes turn to Charlie. I'll admit he looks like a confused puppy. "You know what. Heads, we do it. Tails we don't", he says, pulling out a quarter. Heads.

_One of the misconceptions about Lemonade Mouth is that we were a natural fit from the start. Totally not true. _

"Come on, Charlie. It's a simple four-four beat", Stella yells. "You're not even trying."  
"Stella", I say. "Leave him alone, he's doing his best." "I think we need to go a little more hardcore", she replies. When she said that, my temper had enough. Wen could see that, because he mouthed a couple words to me.

"That's it. I'm out of here", Mo says, taking the bass off. "What? You're just gonna stomp away?", Stella asks. "In case you guys haven't noticed, I'm classically trained on the violin", Mo replies. "I don't play whatever this is." "I'm out too", Charlie says, getting up. "Charlie", I say. "Please don't go, we can do this." Wen starts playing his keyboard and I start singing:

_Can you see me?  
'Cause I'm right here  
Can you listen?  
'Cause I've been trying to make you notice  
What it would mean to me  
To feel like somebody  
We've been on our way to nowhere  
Tryin' so hard to get there_

_And I say, oh  
We're gonna let it show  
We're gonna just let go of everything  
Holding back our dreams  
And try to make it come alive  
Come on let it shine so they can see  
We were meant to be  
Somebody (somebody)  
Somebody, yeah (somebody)  
Somehow  
Someday  
Someway  
Somebody_

_I'm so tired  
Of being invisible  
But I feel it, yeah  
Like a fire below the surface  
Trying to set me free  
Burnin' inside of me  
'Cause we're standing on the edge now  
It's a long way down_

_But I say  
Oh, we're gonna let it show  
We're gonna just let go of everything  
Holding back our dreams  
And try to make it come alive  
Come on let it shine so they can see  
We were meant to be  
Somebody (somebody)  
Somebody, yeah (somebody)  
Somehow  
Someday  
Someway  
Somebody_

_We will walk out of this darkness  
Feel the spotlight glowing like a yellow sun  
Oh oh oh oh oh and when we fall we fall together  
Till we get back up and we will rise as one, oh, oh ,oh_

_Oh, we're gonna let it show  
We're gonna just let go of everything  
Holding back our dreams  
And try to make it come alive  
Come on let it shine so they can see  
We were meant to be  
Somebody (somebody)  
Somebody, yeah (somebody)  
Somehow  
Someday  
Someway  
Somebody  
Somebody  
Ooh ohh oh_

"Olivia, did you really write that?", Charlie asks me. "Yeah", I reply, breathlessly. "Guys, we are so winning a record deal!", Stella exclaims.


	3. Band Name

I'm sitting at the desk in the storage room(I guess), talking to Mo about songs, when Stella and Wen come in. A minute later Charlie comes through the door. "I see everyone brought their official underworld badges", he says. "Yeah!", we all say, holding up our lemonade.

"We're subterranean and we're proud!", Stella replies. "Alright, first order of business, a band name, we need it for the flyers."

"Ok, what about, Soul Groove?", Charlie suggests. We all shake our heads. "The Anarchists?", Stella suggests next. "No", Wen replies. "Wait that's not so bad", I say. "The Anarchists", Stella repeats. "No, no that's terrible", I reply.

"I'm gonna go get another lemonade." "Guys I got one, let me just find it, oh,...Wen", I hear Wen say. Oh my god that is so him. "Back off the Bash!", I say, entering the room again. "What kind of a band name is that?", Stella asks. "No, this was on the door", I reply.

****Back off the Bash...****  
****Or ******_**Else!**_**

Later that day, I am putting my money in the machine to get a TurboBlast when Ray and these two girls come up to me. "Thanks, my favorite", the blonde says, taking the TurboBlast from hand. "Could I just have that back", I whisper. "Hey, your the lead singer of the new band, right?", Ray asks me. "Yeah", I murmur.

"Then why don't you just belt one out for us?", Ray replies. "Yeah show us what you got", the other girl says. "Can you just leave me alone", I ask. I see Mo, Charlie and Wen come up behind Ray. "What's going on?", Mo asks. "We're just making small talk", the blonde replies.

"Ray, come on bro, leave her alone", Wen says. "Oh, and your gonna make me?", Ray asks. "You're being a creep, Ray", Mo replies. "So if you're not gonna make me, then who's gonna make me?", Ray asks. Oh my god, I just wanna punch him. "Me", Charlie murmurs. Oh wow, that's cute.

"That's who", Charlie says. He looks at me, probably to see if I noticed his toughness. I smile at him and mouth, _Thank you. _But before Ray can rip Charlie's head off, Stella taps on Ray's shoulder. "I have a better idea", she says.

Ray turns around. "What?", he asks. "One second", she says, taking a gulp of lemonade. Then she does the thing that I would never do in my life. She spits lemonade on to Ray. There becomes an argument between everyone until Principal Brenigan comes.

"Principal Brenigan, I went to go get a TurboBlast and they just start threatening me. Next thing you know it, lemonade mouth over here, spits all over me", Ray says, sounding innocent.

_And that is how we got our band name._


	4. Wen

The next day, I hear a knock on the door. I open it and Wen's standing there.

"Hey", he says. "What are you doing here?", I ask. That sounded mean. "Uh..Stella said I should come by, work on some songs with you", he replies. "Oh okay", I say. I was in a daze.

"...So", Wen replies. I realized how impolite I was. "Oh right, sorry, um...come on in", I say. I take him outback on my little patio.

"So your Olivia's friend", Gram says, pouring us lemonade. "That's right", Wen replies. "I've never met one of Olivia's friends before", Gram explains. "Gram...mm-mm", I tell her. She goes back inside. Oh my god, the embarrassment.

"She was kidding about the whole friends thing", I tell Wen. "She's met a ton of my friends like tons and tons..of friends." "Right, of course", Wen replies. "Wanna hear a rap?" "Oh yes", I tell him, excitedly. "Yeah? All right", he says.

"It's Wen and I'm musically inclined. Get a shiver down your spine every time I rhyme. I'm in Lemonade Mouth, we don't learn to wait. We get on stage and determinate. Like it would keep going." "Wait "determinate?", I ask. "Yeah. It's like, get determined", he replies. "Oh no, no", I tell him, putting my hands up to my face. "Like put on your game face. Yes", he explains. "You don't get it?"

"That's not what "determinate" means", I say, laughing. His gaze turns to something behind me. "Wow. That's an old cat", he says. I look behind me. Nancy's out. Gram!

"Yeah. Yeah, she's really old", I reply. I start to cry. Wen looks freaked out. "Are you okay?", he asks. "Yeah. Nancy was my mom's and she's the last real thing I have of her", I explain. "Oh I'm sorry", Wen replies. "Well, what about your dad?"

"He...", I start to say, but realize hat there was no point. "You know, can we just work on the song?" "Yea", he replies. "Because I have one that I think is pretty good", I tell him. "Uh oh", he replies.

_Trying hard to fight these tears_  
_I'm crazy worried_  
_Messing with my head, this fear_  
_I'm so sorry_  
_You know you gotta get it out_  
_I can't take it _  
_That's what being a friend's about _

I look up and Wen's staring at me. I smile my awkward smile. "I like when you smile", Wen tells me. That only makes me blush and smile more. I look away from him. "That's not, um..", he says. "So basically it starts with this slow portion of song and then...", I explain, ignoring his attempt to talk.


	5. Scheduled For Removal

"Well, this is it, guys. Our last rehearsal", Stella says as we head downstairs. "Guys, I can't believe the Halloween Bash is tomorrow night", Wen replies. "And Rising Star in a few weeks", Charlie finishes.

It finally dawns on me what I've gotten into. I can feel the nerves already. "You ok?", Wen asks. I didn't even realize I stopped dead in the middle of the stairs. "Fine, fine. I'm totally fine", I answer. Charlie climbs up the stairs and takes my arm. Can he notice I'm blushing?

"We're all nervous, Olivia", Charlie tells me. "Try terrified", Mo replies. "Hey come on you guys, we're gonna be great. In fact, I think I know just the thing to make us feel better", Stella tells us. "Lemonade!", we all say in unison. Stella turns around and there on the lemonade machine was a Scheduled for Removal sign.

Stella and Wen went to go find information about it. That left Mo, Charlie, and me waiting patiently in the storage room.

"What do you think?", Mo asks. "What do you mean?", I reply. "About the machine", She says. "Oh", I say, embarrassed. "I hope that it's a screw up on the paperwork." I wipe pretend dust off of my dress. "You look pretty today, Olivia", Charlie says. "I like your dress."

I'm blushing and smiling. Obviously Mo could tell something was up. "Olivia", Mo whispers to me. "He totally likes you." "You think?", I ask. "Even a blind person could tell, and you smile every time you look at him, that means you like him too, so what are you waiting for?", she asks me.

I ignore her and start writing song lyrics in my notebook. Charlie starts tapping his fingers on the desk and I start humming. Then I start sing "Turn up the Music" then I stop. "Can you believe it was that song that started this", Charlie says.

"I can't believe we're playing the Bash tomorrow", I say, still writing lyrics. I was caught up in my own thoughts that I didn't realize Charlie was looking at what I was writing. "Do you like it?", I ask. "Yeah", Charlie answers. "You're really talented." Oh my god! If I tell him that I like him, would it ruin our friendship?


	6. Halloween Bash

****(Okay So this information will come in handy, instead of being freshmen, they are Sophomores, ok oh and Charlie is the only one with a license)****

Okay, today's the day. I just arrived and I'm trying to find the others. I took 5 Pepto Bismol tablets before I came. Even then I still feel nervous. "Where is she?", Wen asks. Shoot I'm late. "I'm here", I say, uneasily. "Olivia, we have 3 minutes", Mo tells me. "Great", I reply, through my clenched jaw. I start hyperventilating.

"Hey, Olivia", Wen looks at me. "Are you ok?" "Wen, I- I can't do this", I whisper shakily. "I'm not ready" "Olivia, your ready, we've rehearsed this song a million times", he says, trying to calm me down. "Guys, we're on", Stella announces. Wen puts his arm around me. "Now or never", he whispers in my ear.

I take my stand behind the microphone. I look back at Wen as the keyboard starts. I look out at the crowd and I just can't do it. I take one final look at Wen and then rush off the stage.

Immediately as I'm offstage I burst into tears. I hear footsteps behind me. Wen and Charlie. "I'm sorry", I say, my voice catching on my tears. "I told you, Wen, I'm not ready." "Olivia, it's ok", Charlie sits next to me. "You tried." "I knew I couldn't do this", I murmur. "What do you mean?", Wen asks.

"This. This band", I reply. "Hey what did you say when I was about to quit?", Charlie asks. "I don't remember", I reply. "You said and I quote "Charlie, please don't go, we can do this"", he says, making me stifle a giggle. "Olivia you can do this I believe in you." "Me too", Wen says. "So what do you say, wanna give it another shot?", Charlie asks. I think for a moment then nod. "That's my girl", Charlie says, helping me up.

Once again, I look back at Wen as he starts to play and I wait for my cue to start

_Trying hard to fight these tears_  
_I'm crazy worried_  
_Messing with my head this fear_  
_I'm so sorry_  
_You know you gotta get it out_  
_I can't take it_  
_That's what being friends about_

_I, I want to cry_  
_I can't deny_  
_Tonight I wanna up and hide_  
_And get inside_  
_It isn't right_  
_I gotta live in my life_  
_I know I, I know I_  
_I know I gotta do it_  
_I know I, I know I_  
_I know I gotta do it_

_Gotta turn the world into your dance floor_  
_Determinate, determinate_  
_Push until you can't and then demand more_  
_Determinate, determinate_  
_You and me together, we can make it better_  
_Gotta turn the world into your dance floor_  
_Determinate, determinate_

_Hate to feel this way_  
_And waste a day_  
_I gotta get myself on stage_  
_I shouldn't wait or be afraid_  
_The chips will fall where they may_  
_I know I, I know I_  
_I know I gotta do it_  
_I know I, I know I_  
_I know I gotta do it_

_Gotta turn the world into your dance floor_  
_Determinate, determinate_  
_Push until you can't and then demand more_  
_Determinate, determinate_  
_You and me together, we can make it better_  
_Gotta turn the world into your dance floor_  
_Determinate, determinate_

_It's Wen and I'm heaven-sent_  
_Use it like a veteran_  
_Renegade, lemonade, music is my medicine_  
_Go ahead and try to name a band we ain't better than_  
_Reason why the whole world's picking us instead of them_  
_People need a breather cause they're feeling the adrenaline_  
_Stop! Now hurry up and let us in, knock_  
_'Cause we're coming to your house and_  
_People keep on smiling with lemons in their mouth_  
_I'm the real deal, you know how I feel_  
_Why they in it for the mil I'm just in it for the thrill_  
_Get down now I ain't playin' around put your feet up on the ground_  
_And just make that sound like_

_Gotta turn the world into your dance floor_  
_Determinate, determinate_  
_Push until you can't and then demand more_  
_Determinate, determinate_  
_You and me together, we can make it better_  
_Gotta turn the world into your dance floor_  
_Determinate, determinate_

_Come on and, come on and_  
_Come on and get it going_  
_Come on and, come on and_  
_Come on and get it going_  
_On the dance floor_  
_On the dance floor_  
_Dance floor_  
_Determinate_

"Well, we're Lemonade Mouth and now a few words from our lead guitarist, Stella Yamada", I say, handing the microphone to Stella and I start passing out lemonade. "Come on. Everybody, we want you to pass these back, so hurry up", Stella orders. "We'd like to shine a light on a recent change that affects us all. We'd like to talk about...lemonade."

"The Mel's Lemonade machine in the basement is scheduled for removal to help pay for this gymnasium. It's about this school, it's treating certain people like they matter more than others. Or funding for sports is more important than a music program. Or a school newspaper, or any one of us. We all deserved to be treated like we matter. Because ladies and gentlemen...we do matter!"

_Be heard, be strong, be proud_  
_I wanna make some noise_  
_Stand up, come on, be loud_  
_We're gonna raise our voice_  
_Come on, come on, come on_  
_You gotta hear me now_  
_You gotta hear me now_  
_You gotta hear me now_

_Hey now_  
_We no longer wait around_  
_My team stronger like weights now_  
_Keeps on growing_  
_Our muscle keeps on showing_

_We came here to make a change_  
_We came here to rearrange_  
_We came here cause we believe_  
_We came here cause we achieve, yeah_

_While I've got the microphone_  
_Make sure how I feel is known_  
_All for one we got the zone_  
_How I feel to each his own_

_All my people treat em right_  
_We reserve the right to fight_  
_For what we want, for what we need_  
_To the front we shall proceed_

_Here we come and we're ready to_  
_Go, go, go, go, go_  
_Better run cause we don't take_  
_No, no, no_  
_Come on_

_Be heard, be strong, be proud_  
_I wanna make some noise_  
_Stand up, come on, be loud_  
_We're gonna raise our voice_  
_Come on, come on, come on_  
_You gotta hear me now_  
_You gotta hear me now_  
_You gotta hear me now_

_We're motivated (motivated)_  
_We're aggravated (aggravated)_  
_We're dedicated_  
_So now you better play fair_  
_Determination (and) willpower_  
_(Oh come on) with consideration_  
_We will devour_

_We're on our own_  
_But we are one_  
_So on lend a shoulder we'll fight until_  
_We see the sun_

_It's just a matter of time_  
_Before you see our way_  
_We fight with all our lives_  
_We do this everyday_

_Here we come and we're ready to_  
_Go, go, go, go, go_  
_Better run cause we don't take_  
_No, no, no_  
_So come on_

_Be heard, be strong, be proud_  
_I wanna make some noise_  
_Stand up, come on, be loud_  
_We're gonna raise our voice_  
_Come on, come on, come on_  
_You gotta hear me now_  
_You gotta hear me now_  
_You gotta hear me now_

_Be heard, be strong, be proud_  
_I wanna make some noise_  
_Stand up, come on, be loud_  
_We're gonna raise our voice_  
_Come on, come on, come on_  
_You gotta hear me now_  
_You gotta hear me now_  
_You gotta hear me now_

_Yeah_  
_I said we're tired of this_  
_We're going to stand up_  
_For what we believe in_  
_We might be on our own_  
_But we are one_  
_Everybody ready_  
_Come on_  
_Let's go_

_Be heard, be strong, be proud_  
_I wanna make some noise_  
_Stand up, come on, be loud_  
_We're gonna raise our voice_  
_Come on, come on, come on_  
_You gotta hear me now_  
_You gotta hear me now_  
_You gotta hear me now_

_Be heard, be strong, be proud_  
_I wanna make some noise_  
_Stand up, come on, be loud_  
_We're gonna raise our voice_  
_Come on, come on, come on_  
_You gotta hear me now_  
_You gotta hear me now_  
_You gotta hear me now_

Principal Brenigan shut us down. The one time I conquer my fear. After the incident, we decide to go to Charlie's, I never met his parents before, so I was excited. I got to ride shotgun so I could to talk to Charlie. "You did it", he says, when we're on our way to his house. "Don't remind me", I reply, jokingly. "It wasn't that bad, was it?", he asks. "No, I mean I wouldn't want to do it again for a long time", I answer.

"Yeah", he agrees. "So, what are your parents like?", I ask, after a couple moments of silence. "Pushy", he says, pulling into his driveway. I get out and stretch. I feel a hand on my back. "Hey", Wen says. "You were great." "Well, I feel worse then I did", I reply. "All you need to do is relax and have fun tonight", Wen tells me.

When we get inside, Charlie's parents are just leaving to go out. He quickly introduces us to his parents. I think their nice, I mean maybe in Charlie's eyes their pushy. As soon as they leave, Charlie and Wen raid the fridge. "Typical boys", I say to Stella and Mo. "Hey are you ok, after what happened", Mo asks me.

"No, not really", I reply. Just then, the boys come back with their arms full. "Oh geez", I remark. "Do you want something to drink?", Charlie asks me. "Water is fine", I reply. When I get my water, I take small sips. "We all did amazing tonight", Stella says. "I think our singer did amazing", Charlie replies. "Why, thank you", Wen says, taking a bow. "I try."

I manage to stifle a little giggle. "Ha, ha", Charlie laughs, sarcastically. "Where's the bathroom?", I ask. I hope they haven't noticed, but I feel hot. Like I have a fever. "Down the hall", Charlie replies, raising an eyebrow. He definitely knows somethings wrong. When I get up, I feel dizzy. I manage to carry myself to the bathroom. I can hear them whispering. I look at myself in the mirror.

"You're ok, you're ok", I mutter. Then all I see is black. When I come to, I hear panicked shuffling of footsteps. Then I'm out again. When I come to, a second time, I'm in a car. "_I'm being kidnapped", _I say to myself. But then I hear drumming, I think on the steering wheel. I recognize the beat. It's _Determinate_. I know who's at the wheel. Charlie Delgado. All of what happened is now coming back to me.

The Halloween Bash. Charlie's house. The bathroom. Then he starts singing, _ok that's my time to go, _I think to myself. We pull into a driveway, I realize that he's taking me home. But how does he know where I live? Probably Wen. He gets out and comes over to the passenger side. He picks me up, bridal style. He's strong.

He carries me to the door, I expect him to set me down to open the door, but he doesn't, he opens the door just fine. He goes a couple different ways to find my bedroom, but he eventually finds it. He sets me down on my bed, as he removes the covers so he could tuck me in. Which he does.

He leaves the room, so I'm guessing he left. But, he comes back with a cool compress. He was definitely a babysitter. "If only you knew how I feel about you", Charlie whispers. _But I do, _I want to scream.


	7. Dante's Pizzeria

Monday morning. I'm dreading facing my friends. The first person I see is Wen. "Hey, how are you feeling?", he asks. "Better", I say. "Good", he replies. "Hey, we have to go into the principal's office." I groan. "Of course", I say. He puts his arm around me. "Henceforth to Principal Brenigan's office", he says.

When we get into the office, Stella, Charlie, and Mo are already here. "Look who I found", Wen says, pointing to me. Mo comes over and hugs me. Charlie just waves to me. Stella comes over to me. "Are you okay?", she asks. "Yeah", I say. "But I'm dreading this meeting." "We all are", Charlie replies. It's the first time I heard him speak to me since Friday. Principal Brenigan finally comes in.

"Well, well, Well", he says, looking at us. "That was quite a show you all put on at the Halloween Bash. You're very talented. But just for your information, a high school dance is no place for a...political tirade. What you did Friday night was completely, completely disruptive." "And you, you promised there'd be no funny business", he says, looking at Stella.

"But it wasn't funny", Stella argues. "We just spoke our minds and...Principal Brenigan, you shut us down." "Yes, I shut you down", Principal Brenigan replies. "Because the decisions I make are for the good of this school. And with that good in mind. Lemonade Mouth is finished."

I look at Wen, he has the same sad look on his face that I do. "You will not use the music room, you will not use the instruments, if I hear so much as a hum coming from the locker room showers, I will suspend you. Understood? Good, dismissed", Principal Brenigan says.

As we exit the office, I catch up to Charlie. "Hey", I say. "Hey", he replies. "Listen, I gotta get to class, I'll talk to you later." That was weird. That wasn't the Charlie I know.

"This year's Halloween Bash will best be remembered for the powerful performance by surprise standout Lemonade Mouth. A champion for students sidelined by the high school privileged and elite", Stella reads from the school newspaper, while we're at lunch. "Can you believe it." "Our first review", Charlie says. "And last, apparently", Wen replies. I look at him.

"Don't remind me", I tell me. I turn to Charlie. "What's going on with you today?", I ask him "What do you mean?", he replies. "You don't seem like yourself", I say. He just shrugs. "Do you remember anything from Friday night?", he asks me. I hesitate, I don't wanna say the wrong thing. "The last thing I remember is your bathroom", I say. "Oh", he replies.

I said the wrong thing. "I knew you weren't yourself", Wen butts in. "Oh so you made me get on stage", I nudge him playfully. "Well, that I thought was just jitters", he replies. "But when you were at my house, you could tell you weren't yourself", Charlie tells me.

Word spread that Lemonade Mouth was no more, so all that week there was signs saying _We want lemonade! _And, _Be Heard, Be Strong, Be Proud_. There was even a _LEMONADE MOUTH FOREVER! _banner on the school. Stella got us all to come to Dante's Pizzeria after school.

"What would you say if we told you, that we could play again?", Wen asks. "I'd say your nuts", Mo replies. "Brenigan would never change his mind." "We're not talking about at school, we're talking about here", Stella says. "I gave Dante our CD and he loved it, and he said we can start playing here", Wen explains.

"See Principal Brenigan can tell us that we can't play at school, but he can't tell us not to play here." "And it could become a regular gig", Stella finishes. "Wait a regular gig?", I ask. "I barely made it through the first one."

"Guys, my parents already think I'm at soccer practice every afternoon", Charlie says. "There's no way I'm gonna be able to pull this off." "Me neither, Scott eats here and I'm planning on never seeing him again", Mo replies. _Wait, did I miss something? _

"Guys we mean something to people", Stella explains. "Lemonade Mouth is their voice." "It's like we're at the center of a movement...", Stella continues. I see Mo spot Scott, who smiles and slightly waves at her.

I nudge Charlie. Charlie then notices him too. "Guys, good luck with your movement, but I have homework to do", Mo says, getting up. "Mo", I say, going after her.

When we all get outside, we find ourselves staring at something on the pizzeria. A picture of the five of us at the Halloween Bash. "No way", Wen says. "Oh it's beautiful", I murmur. "Look at us up there", Charlie says. "Maybe we do matter", Mo says. "Of course we do", Stella replies.

_Before we knew it, we were playing at Dante's Pizzeria every Thursday night. Standing room only._

_(Mo singing)_

_Insecure_  
_In her skin_  
_Like a puppet, a girl on a string_

_Broke away_  
_Learned to fly_  
_If you want her back gotta let her shine_

_So it looks like the joke's on you_  
_'Cause the girl that you thought you knew_

_She's so gone_  
_That's so over now_  
_She's so gone_  
_You won't find her around_  
_You can look but you won't see_  
_The girl I used to be_  
_'Cause she's_  
_She's so gone_

_Here I am_  
_This is me_  
_And I'm stronger than you ever thought I'd be_

_Are you shocked?_  
_Are you mad?_  
_That you're missing out on who I really am_

_Now it looks like the joke's on you_  
_'Cause the girl that you thought you knew_

_She's so gone_  
_That's so over now_  
_She's so gone_  
_You won't find her around_  
_You can look but you won't see_  
_The girl I used to be_  
_'Cause she's_  
_She's so gone away_  
_Like history_  
_She's so gone_  
_Baby, this is me, yeah_

_She's so gone_  
_That's so over now_  
_She's so gone_  
_You won't find her around_  
_You can look but you won't see_  
_The girl I used to be_  
_'Cause she's_  
_She's so gone_  
_She's so gone_

_You can look but you won't see_  
_The girl I used to be_  
_'Cause she's_  
_She's so gone_  
_So long_

_She's so gone_  
_Gone, gone, gone_

_Lemonade Mouth was official a sensational and five strangers were suddenly much much more. We were friends._


	8. Nancy

It happened this morning. I woke up for school. I went downstairs to try to feed Nancy. Then my worst fear became a reality. Nancy didn't wake up. I was heartbroken. That's an understatement.

I'm still crying, I have been since I woke up. Which is about 6 hours. Me and Gram buried Nancy in her favorite spot in the backyard. Right by the flowers. I've been sitting by her grave, telling her about our band.

"Hey, you ok?", I look up, Wen's here. "Yeah...you came", I reply. "We all did", he says. I see Charlie, Mo, and Stella come in. "Look, I'm really sorry about Nancy", Wen says, sitting next to me. "Yea, me too", I reply, trying really hard to not cry. "You can cry, it's ok", Charlie tells me.

Wen puts his arm around me and I cry into his shoulder. "It-it doesn't...seem real", I say. "She's gone." Charlie gets up and comes over to me. Wen holds my hand, I hesitate then hold Charlie's. ****This is where they're gonna sing the song. ****

_I can't pretend_  
_To know how you feel_  
_But know that I'm here_  
_Know that I'm real_

_Say what you want_  
_Or don't talk at all_  
_Not gonna let you fall_

_Reach for my hand_  
_'Cause it's held out to you_  
_My shoulders are small_  
_But you can cry on them too_

_Everything changes_  
_But one thing is true_  
_Understand_  
_We'll always be more than a band_

_Yeah yeah yeah yeah_

_You used to brave the world_  
_All on your own_  
_Now we won't let you go_  
_Go it alone_

_Be who you wanna be_  
_Always stand tall_  
_Not gonna let you fall_

_Reach for my hand_  
_'Cause it's held out for you_  
_My shoulders are strong_  
_But you can cry on them too_

_Everything changes_  
_But one thing is true_  
_Understand_  
_We'll always be more than a band_

_I never knew you could take me so far_  
_I've always wanted the hope that you are_  
_The ones I need_

_Reach for my hand_  
_'Cause it's held out for you_  
_My shoulders are strong_  
_But you can cry on them too_

_Everything changes_  
_But one thing is true_  
_Understand_  
_We'll always be more than a band_

_Reach for my hand_  
_'Cause it's held out for you_  
_My shoulders are strong_  
_But you can cry on them too_

_Everything changes_  
_But one thing is true_  
_Understand_  
_We'll always be more than a band_


	9. Radio and Bad Show

It's the next day. I'm playing cards with Gram when the phone rings. "Turn on WRIZ right now", I hear Wen say. Then the line goes dead. I go over to the radio. I can believe what I hear.

_I gotta get myself on stage_  
_I shouldn't wait_

"Gram", I say. "There play our song on the radio! Yes." We start dancing around, it's pretty great actually.

_The radio sponsor for Rising Star heard our demo and put it on the air. It was a dream come true. For all of us._  
_But just when the future looked brightest for Lemonade Mouth, everything started to fall apart._

Dante's Pizzeria, our regular Thursday night set. Rising Star is in two days. I am trying to sing but it was hard with all the booing in the crowd. Mo is behind me, sneezing every second.

Apparently, Ray had enough because I see him get up and head for the stage. He steals my microphone. "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce, Loser Mouth", Ray says. Wen comes over and he and Ray fight over the microphone.

Here in Dante's Pizzeria, it becomes this huge fight with everyone throwing cups everywhere. I go behind the drums with Charlie, we protect ourselves with a pizza box while eating pizza. Just then, Dante comes out and kicks everyone out.

It's now 2 hours since our pizzeria fiasco. I hear a knock at the door. I open it and Charlie is standing right in front of me. "Hey", he says, hands in his pockets. "Hey, what are you doing?", I ask. "I need to tell you something", he replies. I give him a confused look.

He takes a deep breath. "Olivia, I've been meaning to tell you this for a long time, but with the band and everything going on, I couldn't", he tells me. I know what's going on now. "But, Olivia, I like you", he says. "There I said it." He mutters something under his breath, then he comes closer and kisses me. I've imagined this moment for a long time.

We're interrupted by Wen. He just comes up on my porch and starts throwing punches. I have a hard time keeping my eyes on them. I don't wanna know what's happening. I hear grunting so I know they're going at it hard.

I finally get the nerve to look and when I do I see Charlie punching Wen right in the eye. Wen responds by punching Charlie in the mouth. With that Charlie leaves looking at me, while he passes by, I know he's really mad, just the way he walks. After Charlie leaves, Wen looks at me. "Don't look at me", I say, shutting the door.


	10. Protest and Arrest

I've been crying in my room for an hour. I've also been screaming at my wall. I'm pretending it's Wen. I called Stella and Mo to see if they could come over, they said they would as soon as they could. I hear a knock on my bedroom door.

I look up and I see Mo and Stella. I look as miserable as I feel, but they didn't mind. "Why did he have to do that", I say, crying. "Do you ever wonder if Wen likes you too?", Mo asks. "Olivia, he's always looking at you in a way", Stella replies.

"No, he can't, Wen and I are just friends", I say. "To you, maybe", Mo replies. Now it's been an hour since Mo and Stella left and I keep thinking about what they said. Now I'm crying because I can't believe I didn't see that he also has liked me.

_The next day..._

Okay, Rising Star is tonight. I go downstairs for breakfast and I realize, my voice is gone. I must have been yelling so much.

I get a text from Stella. _Meet me in front of the school, it's an EMERGENCY! Great, _I say to myself. _On my way, _I text back.

When I head to the school, Mo catches up to me. She looks really sick. "Are you ok?", I ask, but it comes out as a whisper. "Yeah, fine", she replies, coughing. "And you?" I ignore her.

Charlie and Wen come up behind us. There at least 5 feet apart, so not a good sign. "Anybody know what this is about?", Charlie asks. He has a sling on. "What happened to you?", I ask.

"What happened to your voice", Wen asks. I ignore him. I notice he has a black eye now. "What happened?", Stella asks. "Did you all get hit by a bus or something?" Stella sits cross-legged behind a moving truck.

"Look who's talking", Charlie replies, gesturing toward the moving truck behind her "What's going on Stella?", Mo asks. "Yeah, what are you doing?", I ask. "I am protesting the removal of our Mel's Lemonade machine", Stella answers. "Your kidding, right, in this weather?", Mo asks, looking up at the sky. It looks like it going to rain. "Okay, kid, enough playing around. I have three more pickups today", one of the movers says.

"It's gonna rain. Let's get out of here", the other mover replies. "Are you willing to support the rampant tyranny and oppression of the powerful over the voiceless?", Stella argues. "You move or I move you, it's your choice", the first mover says.

"I'm not moving until you put our lemonade machine back!", Stella yells. "Have it your way kid", the first mover says, picking Stella up. All four us go into anger mode, just as the rain starts pouring down. We tear into the movers, trying to get the movers off Stella. Just our luck, the cops come rolling up.

_Needless to say, that day was a bit of a low for the band._

_Holding cell..._

We're all sitting on a bench in the holding cell. Charlie's over by the bars.

"So much for Rising Star", Charlie says. "We can't skip it", Stella argues. "Well, we can't play", Mo says. "It's over!", Wen replies, a little too loudly I might add. "Wen's right", Charlie says. "We lose."_ Wait, did Charlie just agree with Wen? Shocking_

"So we lose. So what?", Stella asks. She stands up and leans up against the wall. "Lemonade Mouth is bigger than a competition. We did it to be heard. For our fans, for ourselves." "For our friendship", I pipe in, although the band can barely hear me anyway. "Thank you", Stella replies, looking at me. "Guys, we can't give up!", I say, as loudly as I possibly can, which isn't loud at all.

"Olivia, this isn't just humiliating ourselves on, like, a high-school level", Mo replies. She stands up and goes over to where Charlie was, who's now over by the payphone. "Look, we're not doing it", Wen says, lifting his head up from his hands. I would imagine the light is really bothering his eye. "Agreed", Charlie replies._ Again with the agreeing, boys must get over things faster than girls._

"In case you haven't noticed, Stella, we're in a holding cell!", Wen says, putting emphasis on "holding cell". "And you're the only one to blame." "Me?", Stella asks, pointing to herself. "Yeah, it's pretty much all your fault, Stella", Charlie replies.

"We didn't actually get arrested", Stella replies, going over to the bars and angrily grips them. "We're just waiting for our parents to come and pick us up." "Oh, great, our parents", Charlie sighs. "Guys, can you please stop!", I say, sighing.

A few moments later, Charlie starts tapping the top of the payphone with something, I'm not even sure what it is. Then, Mo starts playing with her hair tie, making a nice beat with it. Stella starts banging on the bars, her ring making a sound, adding to the beat. Then, Wen starts playing with his zipper on his raincoat.

I can't help but drum on the bench with my hands. Mo starts humming 'Turn Up The Music', then everyone joins in, except me of course, because if I did, I would sound like a dying cat (wait, too soon, sorry, Nancy). We start dancing around. Despite the way I'm feeling right now, I smile with the rest of the band.

"Are we in?", Stella asks. We all stop singing and look at each other. "This is crazy", Wen says, chuckling. He catches my eye, and his smile disappears. Before I know it, I'm being pulled into a group hug.

Before long, our parents come, well guardians. Gram's has always been lenient with me since my mom died. I hope this is no different. I'm apparently the leader of the pack, as I see them letting/making me go first.

"Oh darling", Gram says, pulling me into a hug. "When I said get out of the house, this isn't what I meant." She chuckles. "Let's get out of here", she says, breaking away from the hug. As I head to the door I catch a glimpse of Wen as he walks over to a woman.

I can recognize her only because Wen has told me about her often. She's Wen's father's girlfriend, Sydney. Wen hates her for whatever reason. I think it's because he's mad that his father is dating someone after his mom left. But I think it's nice that Wen and his little sister can have a new mom, I certainly can't.

When I get home, the first thing I do is pick out my outfit for later. If I can't knock them dead with my voice, I should at least knock them dead with my outfit.


	11. Rising Star and Love War

Rising Star. We go on in 5 mins. Everyone looks nervous except Stella. Mo looks worse than yesterday. I feel worse than yesterday. I look at Charlie. I wonder if he's mad at me.

I reach for his hand, at first, he hesitates, then he lets me grab it. I look at Wen. He looks at me, with no emotion at all.

We're on after Mudslide Crush. They're playing the douchiest song ever, like always. "They really are very, very good", Wen mutters. "But we're better", Stella replies, confidently.

When they finish, they come over to us. "Beat that", Ray says, getting all up in Stella's face. "Oh, we will, trust me", Stella replies, in the same confident tone she used with Wen.

"Good luck", Scott tells Mo, when he passes by her. She doesn't even give him as much as a thank you. Go, girl.

The announcer announces Lemonade Mouth and I hesitate, my nerves are going crazy. I look at Charlie, he must have seen the look on my face, pure nervousness. "This isn't about winning, it's about being heard", he whispers to me. We all look at each other in the same way, then we head out on stage.

I hear Wen play the keyboard, but it sounds weird. I still wait for my cue. I sing, but it sounds...like a dying dog.

_Trying hard to fight these tears_  
_I'm crazy worried_

_Messing with my head this fear_  
_I'm so sorry_

I start to cry. I look back and I see Charlie throw his sticks. _This is it, _I say to myself. Charlie gets up from his seat. I worriedly look over at Wen, Stella, and Mo. Wen mouths something like "I can't" and points to his black eye.

They look like they're giving up. We all head off stage when we hear, our song, determinate. We realize it's the audience.

I hear a guitar coming from the other side of the stage. Scott. I'm shocked, our enemy is helping us. Charlie puts his arm around me, I smile at him.

_We didn't win Rising Star, but we won something bigger that night._

_One week later... _

I hear a knock at my door. That's never a good sign. It's Wen. "Hey", he says. "Hey", I reply. "What's up?" "I brought you something", he says. I give him a weird look. He's hiding something behind his back. He pulls out a kitten. "O my God, look at the little kitty", I say. "Where did you get her?"

"One of Sydney's old roommates found a whole litter, and I thought of you", Wen says. I take the kitten from him, it's yellow, I know what I'm gonna name it. "Hey I wanted to say I'm sorry about punching your boyfriend", he says.

I give him a dirty look. "Kidding", he quickly replies. "Wen, why didn't you tell me how you feel about me?", I ask. He shrugs. "I realize that we're better as friends", he answers. "And if you like Charlie, you should go for it before you miss your chance." "Are you sure?", I ask. "Yeah", he replies. I go over and hug him.

After Wen leaves, I decide to call Charlie. I wait on the porch for him. I finally spot his car. "Hey", I say, walking over to him. "I like your brace." "Thanks", he replies. "I just got it today." "I wanted to talk to you", I say, taking his arm as I walk back over to the porch. "I have a confession to make." "What is it?", he asks. I take a deep breath.

"I heard what you said, you know, the night after the Halloween Bash", I admit. Charlie looks confused, then shocked. "I know you took me home, I know you carried me upstairs, I know you tucked me in my bed, I know you took care of me, and I knew you liked me then." I have to catch my breath after all that.

"So why didn't you say anything about it?", he asks. "I acted like an idiot in front of you after that night!" "Charlie, I didn't know what to say", I explain, I try to keep my eyes open so I don't cry. "I-I liked you but I didn't-", I start to say, but I choke up.

We don't say anything for a little while. I look to see if I can search his face, but I see he's looking at me. "Do you know how hard it was for me to see you every day and not accidentally slip up and tell Wen or Mo or even Stella?", he asks me. I stay quiet, I don't want to say anything until I find the right words.

"Charlie", I start to say. "Forget it", he says, walking to his car. I run up to him and pull him back. He looks like he's about to yell at me. Before I kiss him. Deep and passionately. "Charlie Delgado, I like you", I say. "I really really like you."


	12. Breathrough

Madison Square Garden. Wen, Stella, Scott, Mo and I are sitting and talking in what Wen calls the "Chill Room". Mo, Stella, Scott, and Wen keep giving each other secret glances. I wonder if they know about me and Charlie.

Speaking of him, he told me he gets to take his brace off today, so he's late. We agreed that we'd tell the band today. Wen looks at me. "You ok?", he asks. I realize I look terrified.

"I'm fine", I reply. That's what I always say even when I don't mean it, so that's why Wen gives me a look. "Wen!", I smack him playfully on the arm. "I'm fine, honest." Just then, we hear the door open. It's none other than Charlie! "Charlie!", I say walking up to him. Ok, this is it. I kiss him, in front of everyone. I hear Mo "OoOoOoooo." I think Scott is even whistling.

I smile at Charlie, he smiles back. We go sit on the couch. "Is that why you were nervous?", Wen whispers to me. I look at him. "She was really nervous before you came, she looked like she was sweating bullets", Wen tells Charlie. I slap him. "I think it's cute", Charlie whispers to me. "So when did this happen?", Mo asks.

Charlie and I look at each other. "About a month", I reply. "How come we didn't know anything about this?", Stella asks. I look at Charlie. It was his idea to keep our relationship a secret. "We wanted to know if we were sure that this relationship would work", Charlie replies.

I let go of his hand. I didn't know that was the reason. "You never told me that!", I yell. "So if it didn't work out, you were just gonna dump me and never talk to me again?" I head for the door.

"You know what, I don't even wanna do this set tonight", I say, opening the door. I stomp my way to the bathroom and start balling my eyes out. I hear footsteps, so I stop crying. I look under the stall, black and white sneakers. "Olivia", I hear. It's Charlie.

"What are you doing in a girls bathroom?", I answer, wiping my eyes. "Olivia, I'm sorry, it wasn't what I meant", he replies. I try to stop the tears, but they just keep coming. "Hey, can you open the door", he asks, softly.

I don't do anything for a second. But then I give in to him. I open the stall door and I see his face. He looks sorry. He wipes the tears from my eyes. "You wanna do the set?", he asks. "Because if you don't want to, we don't have to."

"I want to", I reply. He puts his arm around me as we walk back. "Is it on?", Wen asks. "It's on", I reply, sitting next to him. "Olivia, what I meant was, that if the relationship felt weird, nothing like when we were friends, we would just be friends, nothing more", Charlie tells me.

I put my head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I got mad at you", I reply. "Guys, oh my god, we have twenty minutes", Mo announces. I sip my water nervously. I have to admit, I am really nervous about this. I mean Madison Square Garden is huge. Almost 20,000 people are coming tonight.

I sigh. "What's wrong", Charlie asks. "It's just...we're going to play at this huge stadium and...", I say. Charlie shuts me up. "Don't think about how many people there's gonna be there, just think of me playing my drums, looking at my talented girlfriend", Charlie replies.

That gets me to smile. "Or if you don't want to feel like your boyfriend is cocky", Stella says, looking at Charlie. "Then think of...say...lemonade." I chuckle.

For the next 10 minutes, I see Stella, Scott, Wen, Mo, and now Charlie exchange glances again._ What are they up to?_, I ask myself. Now, it's time for makeup. I kiss Charlie, then go to get my hair and makeup done. Even when we're getting our hair and makeup done, I can see Stella and Mo whispering to each other.

Ok, it's showtime. I don't see the boys until I'm already on stage. Charlie's wearing this adorable hat. I wait for the keyboard to start, but it doesn't, so I look back at Wen. He just smirks. Stella grabs a microphone.

"I'm sorry guys, but before we start we have an announcement", she says. I look back at Mo with confusion. She just smiles at me. "We have a birthday, today", Stella keeps going. "Olivia, Happy Birthday!" I completely forgot it was my birthday, with everything going on in my life. "Hit it, guys", Stella orders. They start singing "Happy Birthday" to me.

I was getting emotional, no one has ever done this for me before. I don't realize it, but I start to cry. Mo comes over and hugs me. "We had this planned for weeks", she admits. After their done, I wait for Wen to start the keyboard, he does, this time.

****(Olivia singing) (Wen for the**** ()****)****

_Oh yeah, hmm_  
_Breakthrough_

_Up, down, spinnin' all around_  
_Fly, high, fallin' to the ground_  
_Sometimes dreams can feel so far away_

_Time, keeps, skippin' out a beat_  
_Left, right, trippin' on your feet_  
_Life feels like a string of cloudy days (here we go)_

****(Stella singing)****

_Sometimes it's raisin' your voice_  
_Sometimes it's makin' some noise_  
_Sometimes it's provin' to the world it was wrong_

****(Mo singing)****

_Whenever you can't see the light_  
_Whenever there's no end in sight_  
_Keep on, keep on moving on_  
_Keep on moving on_

****(All three girls)****

_Here comes a breakthrough, here comes a day_  
_Here comes a moment that you gotta go for it so don't let it get away_  
_It's all about breakthrough, just turn the page_  
_'Cause everyday I'm getting closer, life is just a roller-coaster_

_Shake it, till you make it till you break it all through_  
_Don't stop till you break it all through_  
_Shake it, till you make it till you break it all through_  
_Don't stop till you break it all through_

****(Olivia singing)****

_Stop, still, take another breath_  
_Roadblock, move it to the left_  
_Get around whatever's in your way_

_Heartbreak, picked up all the pieces_  
_Don't stop dancin' in the bleachers_  
_It's gonna be your turn to play, gonna be your turn to play_

****(Stella singing)****

_Sometimes it's raisin' your voice_  
_Sometimes it's makin' some noise_  
_Sometimes it's provin' to the world it was wrong_

****(Mo singing)****

_Whenever you can't see the light_  
_Whenever there's no end in sight_

****(Wen just for the**** ()****)****  
_(Here we go) keep on, keep on movin' on_  
_Keep on movin' on_

****(All three girls)****

_Here comes a breakthrough, here comes a day_  
_Here comes a moment that you gotta go for it so don't let it get away_  
_It's all about breakthrough, just turn the page_  
_'Cause everyday I'm getting closer, life is just a roller-coaster_

****(Wen rapping)****

_You can see it in the blind sight, movin' through the limelight_  
_Groovin' to the music I'mma use it when the time's right_  
_Hoping I can do it through the shadows, I can shine bright_  
_Usually in life there's one shot and this is our night_  
_Listen to the rhythm we givin' and it will make you_  
_Start pushin' through barriers it'll take you_  
_Wherever that you wanna go, never too late to_  
_Keep pushing till you break through_

****(Stella singing) (Olivia for the**** ()****)****

_Sometimes it's raisin' your voice_  
_Sometimes it's makin' some noise _  
_Sometimes it's provin' to the world it was wrong (world it was wrong)_  
_Whenever you can't see the light (can't see the light)_  
_Whenever there's no end in sight (no end in sight)_  
_Keep on, keep on movin' on_  
_You keep on movin' on_

****(All three girls)****

_Here comes a breakthrough, here comes a day_  
_Here comes a moment that you gotta go for it so don't let it get away_  
_It's all about breakthrough, just turn the page_  
_'Cause every day I'm getting closer, life is just a roller-coaster_

_Shake it, till you make it till you break it all through_  
_Don't stop till you break it all through_  
_Shake it, till you make it till you break it all through_  
_Don't stop till you break it all through_  
_Shake it, till you make it till you break it all through_  
_Don't stop till you break it all through_  
_Shake it, till you make it till you break it all through_  
_Don't stop, here comes a breakthrough_

_After the performance..._

"You guys wanna come back to my hotel room?", Charlie asks everyone. We all agree.

"Just let me change", I say, heading toward the dressing room. Charlie grabs my arm. "You don't need to change, you look nice", he tells me. "No one would admit this, but this dress is really uncomfortable", I reply. "But boys, I call shotgun." "Well, you are the birthday girl", Wen calls after me, as I walk away.

I walk to Charlie's car after I'm changed. I immediately notice that Mo's on Scott's lap because there's no more room. "I can't believe that you guys did that", I say, they know what I'm talking about. "It was really hard to keep that secret", Wen replies. "And to think, I thought you guys didn't know it was my birthday", I admit.

"Nah", Charlie replies. I start to sing Breakthrough, because it now stuck in my head. Of course, Wen has to show off his rap skills. It turns it a rapping vs singing competition between Wen and I. "Here comes a breakthrough", I sing. "Keep pushing till you breakthrough", Wen raps.

"Ok, I'm done", I finally say. "No, I like when you sing", Charlie replies. Just then we park and all get out ****(I know that this part really doesn't make sense, but bear with me).****

As we walk toward the hotel, it becomes colder and then it starts to snow. Charlie gives me his jacket, because he can see I'm shivering. "New York City is colder than I thought", I joke, my teeth chattering. "And your whiner than I thought", Wen replies. I make a face at him.

When we get to Charlie's room, he looks nervously at us. "Did you seriously lose your room key?", Mo asks. "No, I'm joking with you guys", Charlie replies. When he opens the door, its pitch black, he turns on the light, and I'm surprised by a bunch of people jumping out.

There's a banner that says "_Happy_ _Birthday_ _Olivia_" Here comes the waterworks. "You guys", I say. I punch Charlie. "You jerk", I say.

Charlie just smiles his cute grin. Stella comes out with this huge cake that says "_Happy_ _16th_ _Birthday_ _Olivia_!" "Okay make a wish", Charlie says. "I have everything I could've wished for", I say, as I blow out the candles.

The next hours are filled with fun and games and screaming our lungs out.

_The_ _next_ _morning_...

I wake up to someone nudging me. "What?", I ask groggily. "Did you have fun?", I hear someone ask me. Charlie. "Yeah", I say rubbing my eyes. "Where is everyone?" "They already left about an hour ago, but I didn't wanna wake you", he replies.

"What time is it?", I ask. "Uh...9:31", Charlie answers. "But, I got your favorite." He hands me a coffee cup. "Hazelnut blend with cream and sugar?", I ask hopefully. "Correct", he replies. "And it's not decaf because I know you like caffeine."

Just then, there's a knock at the door. It's Mo and Scott. They're both dressed, so I feel weird in my pajamas. "What are we gonna do on our last day in the big apple?", Mo asks. She looks at me.

"I vote candy store!", I raise my hand. "I gave her caffeinated coffee so shes hyper right now", Charlie says to Mo and Scott. "Well, get dressed and we will see you in 10 minutes", Mo tells me, as she and Scott leave. "Darn it", I say to myself.

"I left my clothes in Wen's room." ****(Wen****, ****Stella****, ****and Olivia share a**** ****room). ****"Do you want me to get them for you?", Charlie asks. "Can you please", I ask, sweetly.

When he leaves, I quickly brush my hair and my teeth, so I look, at least a little bit ok. When I get dressed, me and Charlie meet the others in the lobby. "So where are we going", Wen asks. "The candy store", I immediately reply.

As we walk, I start to get tired. "Can I ride on your back?, I ask Charlie. He agrees, of course. "Wen, could you help me?", I ask. Wen gives me a boost as I struggle to hold on to Charlie.

"We should just get her a baby stroller", Scott says. "Actually, could you?", I reply. I'm joking, of course, but Wen makes it his mission to find me a baby stroller. Wen finds me one that's only $30 dollars.

"This is stupid", Mo says, as I get in the stroller. "I fit", I say. "It's a miracle", Wen replies. "Onward to the candy store!", I order. I can't tell who's pushing me though. Stella comes to the front to look at me, I think she's taking a video of me.

"Having fun?", she asks. "Best day ever!", I reply. "Go faster!" "Olivia this thing has a speed limit", Charlie replies. "Me." "Well you're too slow", I joke. We stop for a second. I'm confused at first, but then I realized that they switched drivers. "Now who's driving, do I  
trust you?", I ask. "No", Stella replies.

"Shut up", Wen says. "Wen go fast!", I beg. Wen goes so fast that I have to hold on tight. We stop. "Why are we stopping?", I ask. "We're here", Charlie replies. I squeal. I'm a candy-aholic.

After I pick out my 3 pounds of candy, I start to get my wallet out, but Charlie stops me. "This is my birthday present to you", he says. I don't argue with him, I like free candy. "Where to next?", Wen asks.

"I wanna see the St. Patrick's Cathedral", Mo replies. "You wanna go back?", Charlie asks me. I nod. "We'll see you guys later", Charlie replies. "Wait up", Wen and Stella say. "Back before detention, I would've never done this", I admit.

When we get back to the hotel, I end up feeding most of my candy to Charlie, Stella, and Wen. There's a knock at the door. Charlie looks through the peephole. "It's Mo and Scott", he says.

He opens the door as I throw a piece of candy at Mo. It becomes a whole fight with Mo trying to take my candy. "No!", I say. Now everyone is on top of me trying to pry the candy away from me. This is the best day of my life.


	13. AN

These next chapters are when they're on tour a few months after the last chapter. that's all. ok. I'm gonna go now. but I'm still here well this is awkward. okay uhhhhhhhmmmmmm. ok. you leave first. bye ok


	14. 1 Year Ago

I'm sitting with my pen in my mouth, thinking over my own lyrics that I'm writing. Charlie is sitting next to me, trying to throw popcorn in his mouth. "What about this?", I ask, shoving my notebook toward him. I poke him. He turns toward me and a piece of popcorn falls on his face.

"You're a child", I tell him. "It's good", Charlie says, after he reads the song I wrote. We're alone on the tour bus, the others went to get food. "What are you thinking about?", he asks me as I'm focused on my work. I don't answer him. "Hello! Earth to Olivia", he waves his hands in front of me. "What?", I ask. "What are you thinking about?", he asks. "Nothing", I reply.

Just then, Mo, Stella, Scott, and Wen open the door. "You decided on Chinese food, I see", I examine. "Wen wanted pizza, but we did rock paper scissors", Mo replies. "Good, I'm not in the mood for pizza", I say, loud enough for Wen to hear me. When I get my plateful of food, I go sit on Charlie's lap.

"Give", he says, nodding his head toward my plate. "Words, my sweet Charlie", I tell him. "Olivia, don't you read his language, he wants you to feed him food", Stella replies. I stab a piece of chicken with my fork.

"You lazy child", I say, shoving the piece of chicken in his mouth. "What do you mean? I'm a strong independent man", Charlie replies. Typical Charlie. "Yeah, sure you are", I roll my eyes. Mo screams and it scares us. "Oh my god you guys, did you know that it's been 1 year since we've started this band", Mo says, looking at her phone. "Seriously?!", I ask in disbelief.

"It doesn't feel like it", Charlie replies. "Yeah", Wen says. Tears form in my eyes. I wipe my eyes. "What's the matter with you, girl", Wen asks. I shake my head. I'm too embarrassed to tell them what I'm feeling. I reply with the only answer I can, "I love you guys so much." Wen hugs me.

If something was wrong with me, he would be the one to figure it out. He knows me so well. "We should do something to celebrate this fate that brought us together", Stella suggests. "Like a rap", Wen replies. "No", I say. "Wait, actually Wen, that's a good idea", Mo says. I stare at her. "Are you serious?", I ask.

I'm trying to be funny, but Wen looks like I hit him. "I'm kidding", I quickly tell him. "Do you think you can come up with a rap for our next show?", Stella asks Wen. "I'm pretty sure", he replies. "That's in 5 days", I remind Wen. "And your gonna help me with it", Wen replies.

_The next day..._

Wen has me locked in one of our spare rooms on our tour bus. "Okay, what about this", Wen says. "It was a day in detention nobody could forget. Miss Reznick left cause she had a fight to pick" I wasn't listening. "Good. But Wen, I don't want to do this", I tell him.

I hope I didn't hurt his feelings. "Then go", he replies, casually. "Really?", I ask. "Yea", he answers. Ok, now I know I hurt his feelings. "I won't go if you want me to be here", I tell him. "It's ok, I'll figure something out", he replies. I sit still, waiting for him to say more, but he doesn't.

"I'm sorry Wen, it's just I don't know how to work on this stuff", I say. "It's fine, I just wanted to spend some time with you. You spend all your time with Charlie", he replies. "You're jealous?", I ask. "No", he hesitates. "Wen Gifford, your jealous", I say. "So what if I am?! It's not like you would care anyway!", he yells. I slam the door, leaving him in the room.

_The next day.._.

This is the first time I've seen Wen since yesterday. I go to the kitchen, and he's there...alone. I feel weird just standing here with him staring at me. I grab an apple and go into the living room.

Mo and Scott are in the living room, acting like the cutest couple in the world. I pretend to be disgusted by them. "Charlie!", Mo yells. "Get in here, you're girlfriend is bored!" "Shut up", I say. I say it playfully, but I mean it.

Charlie walks in with only a towel on, he has a bowl of chips in his hands. "Why do you have chips?", I ask. "Because I am hungry, is that a valid reason for me to eat chips", Charlie replies.

"Why are you just wearing a towel", I ask. "I just took a shower", he answers. "But your hair isn't wet", I point out. "So I used your hairdryer, don't interrogate me", he replies. I'm mentally facepalming at how cute Charlie can be.

_The next day..._

I find myself locked in a room...with Wen. A little rundown of how this happened. Mo realized something was going on between me and Wen, so she decided to lock us in a room together. We've been locked in here for about an hour and it's just been silence. "Mo!", I yell. "Yes?", she replies. "Can I have an apple?", I ask.

I hear her unlock the door. She opens it just enough to fit the apple through. Another 10 minutes of silence. "Why did you lie to me?", I ask Wen. "What?", he replies. "Why did you lie to me and say that you were ok with us just being friends?", I ask him. "I don't want to talk about it. Not right now", he answers.

I realize that he's been writing in a notebook for the past hour or so. He doesn't look fazed by this whole thing. "I want to hear it from you, Wen", I say. "Can we be friends, real friends, without being worried about your jealousy. Can you get over your crush on me?" He doesn't answer me. "I don't know if I can do that", he finally says. "Please, Wen", I beg

Switch to..._Mo's POV _(Wow, amazing! There's a POV switch!)

"Anything yet?", I ask Stella, who's camped out by the door. "Silence. Just silence", Stella answers. I'm lounging on the couch surrounded by Scott and Charlie. The four us are waiting for Olivia and Wen to make up. I've been counting and we've been sitting here for an hour...wait no, an hour and one minute.

Charlie has been eating nonstop. How can he eat so much but still look like one of his drumsticks! He has a thing where he throws popcorn into his mouth. I turn my head to look at him. "Can you stop!", I yell. He gives me puppy dog eyes, this can't be easy for him, knowing that your supposedly best friend has a crush on your girlfriend, but he's annoying me.

"Hey, lighten up", Scott puts his hand on my shoulder. I soften my expression as I hear Stella. "Somethings happening", she says. She puts her ear closer to the door. "Wen's talking, he's saying 'Fine, I might be able to do that'", Stella tells us. I squeal. "Wait there's more", she informs us. "Olivia now. 'I'm sorry for making you jealous Wen, I can't believe what you were feeling'"

"So what does this mean?", Scott asks. Stella shushes Scott. "Wen's talking, "I forgive you...for now" I hope he's joking", Stella replies. "Should I open the door?", I ask. They all nod.

I open the door to Wen and Olivia hugging. I can't help but feel like I accomplished something. "Are we good?", I ask. Olivia nods. "I even got half a rap out of that whole imprisoned thing", Wen says. I roll my eyes. "It was necessary imprisonment", I reply. Wen's phone lets out a ding.

"You had your phone the whole time!?", I yell. Wen's mood changes as he looks at his phone. I can't tell exactly what is. "Is it _Shelby_!?", Charlie asks him. "Who's Shelby?", Olivia immediately asks. "Wen's _girlfriend_", Charlie replies.

There's a look on Olivia's face but when I glance at her again, the weird expression is gone. "She's not my girlfriend...she's just a friend, I met her at our last show", Wen blushes. "Oh my god! You're blushing!", I point out. "Ok..maybe...I do kind of...like her...in that way", Wen confesses.

I look over at Olivia. She doesn't look like she's bothered, but I know Olivia and I can tell that this announcement bothers her. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have some songs to write", Olivia says, leaving the living room.

(_Olivia's_ _POV now)_

No, I'm not jealous, maybe mad because he had a crush on me while having a girlfriend. Charlie follows me to my room. He sits down on my bed, as I go over to my desk. "Why didn't you mention that Wen had a girlfriend?", I blurt out.

"It wasn't important at the time, I thought we were in a good place", Charlie replies. "We are", I say. "Are we?", he replies. I don't know how to answer that question. I'm not even sure if we are anymore. I go over and sit next to him on my bed.

"Charlie, there's no one I'd rather be with right now", I tell him. I suddenly realize that it's true. I want to only be with him. I don't care that Wen's with another girl, I don't care that he once liked me. "Charlie, please, never leave me", I say. "I promise you, I'm staying right here, as long as you want me to", he replies.

_2 days later(day of show)..._

I'm sandwiched between Scott and Wen as we drive over to the stadium. I'm not nervous about being on stage, I'm nervous about Wen's rap. It's about an hour drive to the stadium and we're not even halfway there. I feel weird because no one has said a thing. "Which animal would you most identify as", Mo asks. "Are you seriously reading Vogue, again?", Scott asks.

I see Mo trying to hide the magazine. "Probably a lion", Stella answers the question. "Orangutan, all the way!", Wen replies. "I don't know, you guys choose for me", Charlie says. "A pig, because you eat a lot", Mo jokes. "Probably a turkey, for me", Scott replies._ Weird flex, but ok_.

"Um...I don't know about me", I say. "I would say...", Wen says, studying my face. "A rabbit, because when people come up to you, you just run and hide, not literally, of course." "Wow, I don't know whether to be offended or proud that you know me so well", I reply. "You can be both, thanks to split personalities", Wen jokes.

I nod. "I think...I'm a..pomeranian puppy", Mo replies. "Of course you do", I joke. "I'd say..you are a..horse, because you're bossy", Wen replies. Mo reaches back and swats Wen on the arm. "Ow", Wen says, sarcastically. Mo unbuckles her seatbelt and pounces at Wen. "Don't get me pulled over!", Charlie yells. "Getting pulled over is the least of your problems, Charlie", I reply.

Mo goes all psycho mode on Wen. "Charlie, dear, could you pull over?", I ask. "Stop or I'll kick you both out", I tell Wen and Mo. They stare at me like I'm the one who's crazy. "You heard me", I say. "I'm not missing our show because of a bunch of lunatics!"

"Geez, um, ok", Wen replies. "I'm sorry I guess..I..nevermind, just Mo get back to where you belong", I stammer. Now we're en route to the stadium. "Are you ok?", Wen asks me. I nod. It's true, well partly. I can't stop thinking about the one that I really shouldn't be thinking about. No, not Wen. I mean, maybe a little.

_At the stadium..._

I start to strut into the stadium. "Is that really necessary?", Wen asks me. "Yes, very necessary", I reply. Charlie falls into step with me. "You nervous?", he asks. "N-no", I answer. "We're only playing at a stadium that holds like 100,000 people, casual."

"You have that look in your eye", Charlie stares at me. "Of course I'm nervous, who wouldn't be", I reply. "I could forget a line, I could lose my voice, I could-" Charlie puts his finger to my mouth. "Nothing's going to happen", he assures me. "_I'm not too sure_", I say to myself. Charlie and I go our separate ways to get ready. "Think happy thoughts", I whisper to no one at all.

_2 mins until they're on..._

I follow Stella and Mo as we go out onto the stage. I saw the crowd a couple of minutes ago, but it seems much larger now. I was doing vocal exercises earlier as well, so I feel ready for this. The boy's outfits are always better than the girl's.

They have Wen in a black button up shirt with black plaid pants. Charlie is in a white t-shirt with a blue jacket and jeans. And Scott is in a black button-up shirt, similar to Wen's, with jeans. Wen starts the keyboard and raps.

_Listen up_

_This is the story on how we lived_  
_The glory of what we did_  
_It started when we were kids_  
_With music up in our heads_  
_She said_

**(Oliva singing)**

_I've been out on the edge_  
_Breathin' a little bit of fresh air_  
_Big dreams, I took a chance_  
_Held out for everything I got here_

_I've been feeling this life's a circus_  
_Hanging on without a fear_

**(Oliva and Mo singing)**

_Livin' on a high wire_  
_Runnin' through a wildfire_  
_You can't shake me, I'm not going nowhere_  
_Walking on a tight rope_  
_No net, high hopes_  
_Step back, I'm gonna make it over_

_Na na na na na na na na na_  
_Livin' on a high wire_  
_Na na na na na na na na na _  
_Livin' on a high wire_

**(Wen rapping)**

_This is the story on how we lived_  
_The glory of what we did_  
_It started when we were kids_  
_With music up in our heads_  
_She said_

**(Oliva and Mo singing)**

_Big top, turning round, no clowns_  
_I'm running as I hit the ground_  
_Front row, big show sold out_  
_So I'm ready for the crowd roar, let's go_

**(Oliva singing)**

_I've been feeling this life's a circus_  
_Hanging on without a fear_

**(Oliva and Mo singing)**

_Livin' on a high wire_  
_Runnin' through a wildfire_  
_You can't shake me, I'm not going nowhere_  
_Walking on a tight rope_  
_No net, high hopes_  
_Step back, I'm gonna make it over_

_Na na na na na na na na na_  
_Livin' on a high wire_  
_Na na na na na na na na na _  
_Livin' on a high wire_

**(Wen rapping)**

_When it comes to the beat_  
_Seeing that the heads are moving_  
_Move off your seat_  
_Achievement is what we're really doing_  
_Freedom of speech_  
_I'm in it just to win it_  
_I'm springin' and I can see it_  
_In the end that you can be it_  
_'Cause it's patience, it's statements_  
_Famous greatness_  
_Movin' 'til you make it through_  
_And maybe you can make it too_

**(Mo singing) + a keyboard solo by her too)**

_Livin' on a high wire_  
_You can't shake me, I'm not going nowhere_  
_Walking on a tight rope_  
_No net, high hopes_  
_Step back, I'm gonna make it over_

**(Olivia and Mo singing)**

_Na na na na na na na na na_  
_Livin' on a high wire_  
_Na na na na na na na na na _  
_Livin' on a high wire_

_Yeah, yeah _  
_Na na na na na na na na na_  
_Livin' on a high wire_

Stella grabs a microphone. "You know, most of you won't know this, but it's been one year since Lemonade Mouth was formed", Stella says. I hear roars from the crowd. "And, here to pay tribute, Wen's going to rap", Stella continues.

There's more roaring from the crowd. I grab a microphone. "Don't be too excited, this boy can't rap if his life depended on it", I reply. I look back at Wen, waiting for him to yell at me. "You're just jealous", Wen says. "Far from that", I reply. "Can we start please?", Stella asks. I roll my eyes at her. "Just don't blow this", I tell Wen.

_It was a day in detention nobody could forget _  
_Miss Reznick left,_ _Cause she had a fight to pick_  
_All five of us in a room, we could do no wrong, _  
_Then Olivia started singing a song (Turn up the music!) _  
_Miss Reznick came back, I knew we were in trouble,_  
_The others looked like she burst their bubble_  
_But she didn't punish us,_  
_She gave us an A-plus _

_She brought up Rising Star,_  
_She begged and pleaded real hard_  
_We turned her down_  
_She looked like she was about to have a breakdown _

_Stella texted us the next day,_  
_So we agreed to meet at the pizza place _

_Stella wanted us to be heard_  
_She wanted us to be the voice of the nerds_  
_Everyone agreed _  
_But there was one that needed plead (I'm talking about you, Olivia!)_

_Finally, Olivia was hesitant,_  
_But she looked at all the benefits _

_Our first practice was a mess,_  
_But it turned out to be the best _

_Next, we needed a band name to go with our fame_  
_There was Soul Groove, The Anarchists, and even Wen,_  
_But that's for another time then_

_At that time, Olivia was being bullied by Ray_  
_And, Charlie wanted to save the day_  
_But Stella came and spit lemonade in Ray's face_  
_I'm tellin' you it was a fall from grace_  
_We now had a name for our band of misfits_  
_We can't turn back now, we can't quit_

_We got to play the Halloween Bash_  
_Of course it was a smash_  
_But most people don't know what happened that night,_  
_Olivia got stage fright_  
_I calmed get down_  
_Good thing, because now she's renown_  
_Our principal shut us down _  
_We were ready to skip town_

_Monday, we were ready for something miserable _  
_When we got to the office, it wasn't laughable _  
_He told us that Lemonade Mouth was finished _  
_We were all depressed, but we decided it was for the best_  
_All that week, people protested _  
_We finally got the message _

_Stella called us all back to the pizza place _  
_She had a determined look on her face_  
_She said we could start playing there_  
_We all stared_  
_We thought she was crazy_  
_But we agreed _  
_Every Thursday we were playing at the pizzeria _  
_Standing room only, we almost couldn't see ya_

_We got our song on the radio,_  
_That was pretty great- yo_

_Charlie and I got into a fight,_  
_And it didn't help with Rising Star in a few nights_  
_I got banged up pretty bad,_  
_But it was rad_  
**(Insert Olivia facepalming and cringing)**

_Stella paged us to the school_  
_We were like "oh boy"_  
_When we arrived, everyone looked destroyed_  
_Next, we found out that the lemonade machine was being taken away, so we protested _  
_But we ended up getting arrested_

_We decided not to play the competition,_  
_But Stella made it her mission _

_We bombed Rising Star,_  
_But thank god for Scott and his guitar _

_We even played Madison Square Garden,_  
_Now there needs to be a movie for us to star in_  
(Mic Drop)

"Okay, I have to say, that wasn't as bad as I was imagining", I joke. "Thank you?", Wen replies.

_Backstage after the show... _

"Why was your rap like actually good?", I ask Wen. "What can I say, I'm a talented guy", Wen replies. "Ok now, don't get too cocky", I warn him. A girl comes up behind Wen and puts her arms around him. I'm about to call security. "Guess who", the girl says. "No way", Wen replies, turning around. The realization hits me. "Is that...Shelby?", I whisper to Charlie. He nods. She has brown/blonde hair. She looks a little taller than me. "You made it", Wen says. Shelby starts to say something but she gets a text message.

"Oh I'm sorry, my ride's here", she says, after she checks the message. "We should really go somewhere sometime." "Okay, sure, just text me whenever", Wen replies. Shelby blows a kiss at Wen as she walks away. "Uh...How old is she, Wen?", Mo asks him. "Um...18 I think", Wen replies. "She's...you know what, nevermind", Mo says. "Were you gonna say something about her age?", Wen asks. Mo ignores him. I break the silence that followed.

"She seems nice, Wen, she seems like a good girl for you", I admit. "She's a great girl", Wen corrects. I yawn. "Okay, let's get this little girl back, we don't want her falling asleep on anyone", Charlie jokes. "Most likely I'll fall asleep on Wen", I say, matter-of-factly. Wen swats me. "No that's a good thing, you're like a pillow", I tell him. "Come on", Wen says, putting his arm around me.


	15. Dear Daddy,

Today is the day that I tell everyone about my dad. He's currently doing time at the Arizona State Prison. I haven't talked to him since before Lemonade Mouth was formed. I still love him, but he's a stranger now.

"Guys, I have a confession to make", I announce. All faces turn toward me. "I never talk about my dad because...my dad's in prison", I whisper, shakily. There, the hard parts over...atleast I think it is. "Uhm, when I was about 7, I wanted this pink princess bike and...I didn't know it at the time but we were strapped for cash and...he wanted me to have that bike. The next day he surprised me with it...the next week, my dad was arrested for armed robbery", I continue.

I didn't realize it, but I was crying the whole time. Charlie comes over to comfort me. "Why was he arrested for armed robbery?", he asks. "So, uh...apparently he robbed a bank, and one of the things he got me from the money, was the bike", I answer. "But like a said, I was only 7 when he was arrested." "But you know the funny thing about it?"

I look around at my friends, they all have solemn faces. "I wiped out on that bike the day after he got arrested...I broke my arm in two places." I smile and then the others join in. "I visited him once when I think I just turned 13, I haven't been able to see him, you know for emotional reasons...I can't believe he did that...it-it's all his fault that my life is ruined", I sniffle.

"That's why I'm glad to have you guys." "Olivia, you didn't have to tell us all of that", Mo tells me. "I'm glad I did, because it made me realize that I need to get back into touch with my dad...for closure", I reply.

"If you feel like that's what you need to do, then I support that", Charlie tells me. I'm glad I have him right now. "Now, I'm going to excuse myself", I say, getting up.

When I close my door, I notice how thin the tour bus walls are. "I had no idea that she was living with that pain", I hear Mo say. "That shows how much we pay attention", Wen replies. "How were we supposed to know", Stella says. "That girl is a tough nut to crack", Scott replies. "Charlie?", Mo asks. When I left, he seemed the saddest for me.

"I'm supposed to be her boyfriend, I'm supposed to know if something's wrong with her, I feel like I let her down", Charlie finally says. I sigh. The one thing that makes me mad is that they feel sorry for me. It's done. Over. I'm...fine, now. I decide to forget my friends and write a letter to my dad.

_Dear Daddy, _

I tap my pencil discouragedly on the desk. There's so much I want to tell him, but I'm not sure where to start. There's a knock on the door and I'm slightly grateful. "Hey, we're going out to eat, do you wanna come?", I hear Wen's voice quietly ask me.

"Yeah", I say, fake-enthusiastically. Wen told me that I could pick where we go to eat. My choice is McDonald's because I haven't had one of their hamburgers in a long time. Charlie offers to order for me. "Just get me a plain hamburger", I tell him. "Fries? A drink?", Charlie asks me. "No, I'm fine", I reply. I find a table for us and wait there quietly.

Mo comes over and sits across from me. "Are you ok?", she asks me. I mutter under my breath. Everyone comes back with the food. I suddenly feel nauseous. I take two bites of my hamburger, as I look out of the window. There's an uncomfortable silence. "Are you ok", Charlie whispers to me. I snap. "Can people stop asking me that!", I yell. I immediately regret yelling.

"Can I have the keys?', I ask Charlie. "I wanna go in the car." Once I get in the car, I start to cry. It's like all the tears that I have ever shed come back to me and I'm now shedding them again. I hear the sound of the car door open. I quickly wipe the stray tears that are on my cheeks.

We drive back in silence. The only noise that's in the car right now is the light hum of the car radio. When we get back to the bus, I can't sleep, so I decide to continue my letter to my dad.

_Hi_, _How are you? I'm sorry that I haven't been writing to you as I did before. A lot has happened in a year. First of all, I joined a band, Lemonade Mouth(I know, me of all people, remember when I was the shyest kid in 1st grade). _

_We're currently on tour, having the absolute best time of our lives. Our band met in detention( I know goody two shoes me). Wen Gifford plays the keyboard. Stella Yamada is our lead guitarist. Mohini "Mo" Banjaree plays the bass. Scott Pickett also plays guitar. _

_Scott is Mo's boyfriend, and a real sweetheart. And last but not least, Charlie Delgado plays the drums. He's also my boyfriend, and yes, I'll bring him some time so you can meet him. And before you ask, yes, he treats me well. Now, I feel like I have to tell you everything about my personal life. So, I have to admit that when the band first started, I had a crush on Wen(yes the keyboard player), but since then, I've grown feelings for Charlie. _

_He even took care of me, Dad. But now Wen has a girlfriend and I'm now happily together with Charlie. I know, Daddy, your little girl's growing up and you don't get to see it. But I promise I will visit you soon, and I'll even bring the whole band(Maybe if you're good). Anyway, Dad, I need to get to bed. I just checked the clock and its midnight. I'll continue this letter tomorrow._

_Morning..._

Last night I fell asleep on my desk. I remember that part. What I don't remember is getting in my bed. I quickly brush my hair, mentally waking myself up in the process. I walk into the kitchen, expecting to see the entire band, but the only one I see is Scott.

He's concentrating on a cup of coffee. He looks up when he hears me. "Good morning", he says. "How'd you sleep?", I ask him. "Alright, you?", he asks. "Fantastic", I respond. I roll my eyes. "Is that why you have giant bags under your eyes?", Scott jokes. "Don't start with me, Scott, not this early", I warn him.

I rub my eyes, tiredly. I quickly change the subject. "Where is everyone?", I ask, casually. "I honestly don't know", he replies. I give him a questioning look. He laughs. "They left without any explanation", he explains, putting his hands in the air. "Oh", I respond. (Insert awkward silence).

"Scott?", I ask. "Hm?", he replies. "Do you feel like you're on the outside looking in?", I ask. "Sometimes", he responds. "Why?" "I feel like everyone is shutting me out", I reply. "Think of this, Liv", he starts to tell me. "Maybe it's you shutting everybody out." I roll my eyes, thinking he's joking.

"I'm serious", he says, in a serious tone. "Whatever", I say, getting up. He grabs my arm. "If you wanna talk, Liv, I'm here, always", he tells me. I nod. I go back to my room, as I hear the bus door open. I hear my name mentioned by Wen. I pretend to be busy with "work", as I hear my door open. Thankfully, it's only Mo.

"Hey", she says. "Hey", I respond. "We got you something", she says. I give her a really confused look. She leads me outside. "Charlie's just finishing up a couple of details", she explains. She makes me close my eyes and when I open them, I see something that I haven't seen in 9 years...a pink princess bike.

I don't know whether to cry or be happy. Charlie breaks the silence. "Do you like it?", he asks. "I-I...", I struggle to speak. "I knew we shouldn't have done this", Mo whispers to Wen. "It was a good idea when I thought it over in my head", Wen defends himself.

"I love it!", I blurt out. "It-it's just like the one I had when I was 7!" I go over by Wen and hug him. "It was your idea?", I ask. "I can't take all the credit", Wen replies, pointing to Charlie. I go over to him and wrap my arms around him. "I love you so much", I tell him. He looks stunned at first but then he smiles. "I'm actually surprised that Charlie did work", Stella jokes. Charlie rolls his eyes.

_A little later..._

_Okay, it's the next day. So, I told my friends about you because I felt I had to, that's actually why I'm writing to you now, I felt like I needed closure. So anyways, they surprised me this morning with, get this, a pink princess bike like I had when I was little. _

_At first, I was kinda offended, but then I was happy that they thought of me. It was Charlie and Wen's idea. Oh my god! I almost forgot the most important part about this band, I'm the lead singer(I get my cockiness from you, Gram says) (Charlie says I have the voice of an angel, but I don't see it). Oh sorry, I'll be right back. The mail's here and Charlie says I actually have mail today. It's probably Gram. She's on vacation in Florida(It's retirement vacation week). _

I go to the kitchen, expecting to be handed a postcard, but instead, Charlie has a serious look on his face. "It's from the prison", he says, handing me an envelope. At first, I think my dad sent me a letter, but then I get hit with the terrible hard truth. I see those five words. _We regret to inform you. _Tears fill my eyes.

I know everyone is staring at me. I hand the paper to Charlie. He reads the one sentence and his face goes to stone. He lowers the paper. "Oh, Liv." is the only thing he can say to me. "That's how it ends, huh?", I ask, trying to be strong. "He dies and it's over?"

Charlie comes over to me, I bury my head in his chest and I cry, I cry until I don't even remember why I'm crying. I finally decide to take a break and speak. "The funeral's on Wednesday", I whisper. I look up at Charlie. "Will you go with me?", I ask him. He takes my hand in his. "Of course I will", he says, softly.

"If you want, we can cancel the tour", Mo tells me. "No, not cancel, can we pause the tour, maybe?", I ask. "You let us take care of that", Wen replies, putting his hand on my shoulder. "If you need anything, just ask", Scott tells me. "Anything?", I ask. Scott nods.

"Well...I do want chocolate", I say, batting my eyelashes toward Scott. Scott is already heading toward the door. "Milk, white, or dark?", he asks me. "All three, please", I reply. "I'll be back", Scott says, shutting the door. "I wish Scott would get me chocolate", Mo whines. "He never does anything nice for me." I suddenly feel guilty.

"I'm sorry, Mo", I say. "No, no, don't be I think it's nice that he wants to help", Mo responds. "Are you two ok?", I ask. "Yeah, yeah", Mo replies. I look at her face to see if she's lying. It doesn't look like she is, but she's a good actress. "I'll get you chocolate if you want", Wen tells Mo.

Mo rolls her eyes. "Yes, would you get me chocolate", Mo replies, sarcastically. Wen raises an eyebrow.

_Wednesday..._

Charlie and I are heading to the funeral today. It's a 6-hour drive to Arizona from Los Angelas. Yesterday, Mo helped me find a dress to wear. I picked out a black lace halter top dress. Mo picked out my shoes, first, she picked out a size 8 which we established is too big for my tiny feet.

Then, she had me try on 5 different shoes. Mo finally decided I should be in a 3-inch open-toed heel. Mo is currently arguing with me about my hair. "You need to have it up, it's a special occasion", Mo tells me. "But, I don't want it up", I argue. "Olivia, come on, you'd look nice with your hair up", Mo replies. I see the pleading in her eyes. "Fine", I finally say.

Mo looks relieved. "Ow!", I whine as she pulls my hair up. "I didn't even do anything!", she replies. I see Stella out of the corner of my eye. She's up to something. Mo finally finishes my hair. My pain tolerance is very low. Mo moves on to my makeup. She applies lipstick to my lips.

"Blot", she orders, shoving a paper towel toward my lips. "Why do I have to wear makeup", I whine. "I'm not going to prom." "Because, you look nice with makeup...but I'm not saying you don't always look nice", she replies. I roll my eyes, as I give in to her.

Stella finally turns around, she has a whole face of Mo's makeup all-over her face. "Am I beautiful yet?", she asks, striking a pose. I burst out laughing, as I see steam coming out of Mo's ears. "Stella! That was all flown in from Paris!", Mo yells as Stella realizes her mistake. She takes a paper towel and quickly washes off her face. Mo points to the door. "Out!", she orders.

_Switch to Charlie's POV..._

"How would you feel?", I ask the guys. I'm trying to pick out a tie to wear. "You mean, how would I feel if my dad died or how would I feel if my girlfriend's dad died?", Wen replies. "What do you think?", I ask him. "How would I feel if my girlfriend's dad died?", Wen guesses.

I hear the door to the bedroom open and Stella comes out. "I got kicked out", she announces. "What's on your face?", Wen asks her. "None of your business", she replies, defensively. "Is she ready?", I ask. "Yeah, she looks ok, if that's what you're asking", she responds. "_She never looks just ok _", I say to myself.

The bedroom door opens again and this time Mo comes out, followed by Olivia. She has her hair up and out of her face, which she never does. She looks beautiful. She looks at me. "If you touch my hair I will literally kill you", she warns. "I'll be in the car", she says, in a sweeter tone. "Good luck", Wen whispers to me. "Being alone with Olivia is like being alone with a ticking time bomb."

I feel like he's joking, but I can never tell with him. "Thank you Wen", I say, closing the door. "Wanna drive?", I tease Olivia, as I hop in the driver's seat. She doesn't respond.

We're not on the road five minutes when we get a call. "Hello?", I answer. I put it on speakerphone. "Guys, you just missed the big fight", Wen says. "What do you mean?", Olivia asks. "Scott and Mo, they were yelling at each other, one time I thought Mo was going to slap Scott", Wen replies. I hear yelling in the background. "Ok, so I guess I lied", Wen says. "It's like World War 3 up in here", Wen tells us.

"Stella and I could barely seek shelter", Wen continues. There's a loud crash on Wen's end of the phone. "If that was something expensive, you guys are paying for it!", Wen yells to Mo and Scott. "Please come home, I'm scared", Wen whines. Olivia and I roll our eyes. "Oh, darn it, the phone's cutting out", I lie. "I'll call you back when there's a better signal", I say, hanging up.

Olivia and I burst out laughing. "The sole survivor of World War Mo and Scott", I joke. "No, Stella is a survivor too", Olivia corrects me.

_3 hours in (3 hours left) Status: Silence..._

I'm trying to concentrate on driving, but I can't help but look over at Olivia every few seconds. She's staring dazedly out of the window. I wish I could tell what she's thinking about. She suddenly jerks her head toward me. "It had to be a suicide, right?", she asks. I don't answer, so she keeps going. "I mean, it would say if it was a murder, right? And there wasn't a way that someone could've killed my dad, right?"

She was talking so fast, I could barely understand what she was saying. "Charlie, tell me I'm right, please", she pleads. I look at her and it's clear that she's beating herself up over her dad's death. I pull over so I can calm her down. She bursts into tears.

"It's my fault! I should have stayed in touch with him", she cries on my shoulder. I wipe the tears from under her eyes to save her makeup. "Olivia, stop blaming yourself, your dad would not want you beating yourself up about it", I reply, rubbing her back. She bangs her fist on my dash.

"I'm sorry", she whispers. "For what?", I ask. "For being a terrible girlfriend, for putting you through this", she responds. She looks down. "Hey", I say, tilting her head up toward me. "We're in this together, I promised you I wouldn't leave you." She shakes her head. "We should keep driving", she says. I nod and slide back into the driver's seat.

As soon as I start the car again, my phone rings. Olivia grabs it and rolls her eyes. "Hello, Wen", she answers. She puts it on speaker. "Why didn't you guys call me back. I thought you died!", Wen yells. "Geez, sorry, I guess we lost track of time", Olivia replies. "Are Mo and Scott done fighting?" "I wish, now they're giving each other the silent treatment", Wen responds.

_3 hours later...that means they're in Arizona..._

"Have everything?", I ask Olivia. She nods, holding up a folded piece of paper. I'm not the one to ask questions, so I didn't ask about the piece of paper. The first family member we run into is Olivia's grandmother, Brenda. "Hi, Mrs. Russo", I say. "Oh, Charlie, call me Brenda", she replies.

"I'm gonna go find us seats", I whisper to Olivia, leaving them alone to talk. I find two right in the front row. I decide to check my phone. 10 messages from Wen. I call him.

"You are so needy, you know that, right?", I ask him. "But I'm so bored here!", Wen replies. "Talk to Stella", I tell him. "Just don't annoy us." "Wow thanks, I feel loved", Wen replies. Olivia sits next to me. "I got to go, love you, bye", I say into the phone. "Wen?", Olivia asks. I nod. "Are you ok?", I ask her. She nods, unsurely.

****(I'm not really sure what they do at funerals, so I'm going skip ahead like 10 minutes)****

"Now, we will hear from Ted's daughter, Olivia", the minister says. Olivia heads up. "As it was said before, my father was a nice guy, granted I didn't know him that well. I didn't understand what happened to my father, I was only 7. Now that I'm 16, I realize that what he did, what ruined my life, was out of love, he did that because he wanted me to know that he cared about his daughter", Olivia says.

She looks like she's having a hard time talking. "My father...my father would never do something like this, leave without saying goodbye. I remember when I was 5 or 6, me and my dad, we always used to go to this little old fashioned ice cream shop. I would get my usual vanilla. I was a basic girl. But my dad would always get this huge banana split, with everything on it. I'm talking chocolate, peanuts, whipped cream, and this strawberry sauce, of course at my age I thought my dad was eating blood. But every time we went, I would sit as far away from him on the bench as possible. Something about the banana split grossed me out. But anyway, one day I felt brave and decided to try a bite of the banana split. Turns out I was allergic to peanuts."

Olivia starts laughing, but it quickly turns into crying. She runs back and sits next to me. "I wanna go", she whispers. I nod. I didn't even realize it, but I was crying too.

_Switch to Olivia's POV..._

I walk out feeling miserable and in a daze. Charlie's effort to save my makeup failed. I feel like a baby. When I get in the car my phone rings. "Don't answer, it's probably Wen", Charlie tells me. I manage to laugh. I look at my phone.

"You're wrong, it's Mo", I reply. "Hello?" "Liv, something happened, I lied", Mo says. I can tell that she's crying. "Wait, lied about what?", I ask. "I lied about me and Scott being ok", she replies. "We haven't been ok for a long time, I don't even think he likes me anymore" She pauses. "Did I interrupt the funeral?" "No, actually I didn't even make it 5 mins without crying", I respond. "I hate to ask this", she starts to say. "But, can you come home, I really need friends right now." "Of course", I reply.

I hang up and look at Charlie. He looks confused. "We need to go right home", I tell him. "Why? Is something wrong?", he asks. "Mo needs me, something about Scott." He nods. He looks at the gas gauge. "We need to get gas", he says.

We find a gas station. "Want anything?", I ask, getting my wallet out. "Wait, I'll go with you", he replies. I wait for him to fill the tank.

"I pick my own snacks", he says, racing me to the entrance. "Why did I say yes to these heels", I say, taking them off. When we get in the store, Charlie immediately runs over to the candy aisle.

"Over here we have the bad discount candy", Charlie says, picking it up. "So you're getting it", I joke. "I don't discriminate", he replies. I go over to the cooler to get a drink. "You're not getting lemonade?", Charlie asks as I pick a diet tea. "Nothing's as good as Mel's", I reply. "Unlike you, I discriminate."

We pay for our things and head back to LA.

_6 hours later..._

"Where's Scott?", I immediately ask Mo. Her eyes are red. "I don't know, he took off", she replies.


	16. You have my attention

_One week later..._

I hear Mo's quiet gasp as she reads her magazine. "What?", I ask. "I would die to look like Kate Middleton", she replies, showing me a picture in her magazine. I go back to reading my book.

"What's up with her these days?", Charlie asks. I didn't even know he sat right next to me. "She had another kid", Mo replies. Mo eyes Charlie. Mo's eyes linger on Charlie for a couple of seconds, but then she goes back to her magazine.

"Hey I need to tell you something", Charlie whispers to me. "Ok", I say, setting my book down. Mo leaves the room, taking her magazine with her. "You have my attention", I say, looking him in the eye. He looks away from me. "I did something terrible and I regret it", he replies.

_Flashback... (Mo's POV just for flashback)_

_I'm doing the dishes, the one job no one wants to have. Charlie's behind me, finishing his dinner. "Can you finish already?", I ask him. "I'm sorry that I savor my food", Charlie replies, sarcastically. _

_I go over to him and pick up his plate. "Hey!", he yells. I go over to the garbage can and dump all the food in it. Charlie's fake crying. "I'll miss you", he whispers. "It was for your own good, plus you'll be eating in another 10 minutes, guarantee you", I reply. Charlie gets up and comes over to me as I finish the last of the dishes. "You aren't going to slap me are you?", I ask. _

_He does something that I would not expect him to do. He leans down and kisses me. I immediately push him away. "What are you doing?!", I yell at him. "I-I", he replies. "Charlie, you have a girlfriend, who is my best friend!", I yell. "And I have a boyfriend!" I throw the dishtowel down and walk away from him. _

I look away from him, processing the information. "Liv, can you please say something?", he asks. I stay quiet for a little longer. He puts his hand on my shoulder. I shrug him off. It feels like forever until I actually say something.

"Why did you do it?", I ask. "What made you do it? Do you like her?" "No, I don't know why I did it", he replies. I laugh at that old cliché. I look him in the eye to see if he's lying. He looks like he's on the verge of getting on his hands and knees and begging for my forgiveness. "I don't know if I can trust you anymore", I say. "You can, Liv", he replies.

I'm wondering if I should give him a second chance. "Olivia, you're the only girl I've ever had real feelings for", he says, taking my hand in his. "Well...", I start to say. "I guess I can give you a second chance, but it doesn't mean I'm not mad about this situation." Charlie smiles. I grab my book and get up from the couch.

I go into my bedroom and sit on my bed. The door closes and I look up from my book. "Hey", Wen says, sitting down next to me. "How are you holding up?" "How did you know?", I ask. "Charlie told me", he admits. "I was about to punch him."

"Wouldn't be the first time", I reply, giggling. Wen nods. "It was a stupid thing to do", he says. I'm confused for a second, but then I realize what he's talking about. "I get why you did it, though", I reply. He's staring off into space. I move closer to him and put my hand on his. I glance at the closed door.

"Wen, kiss me", I blurt out. "Does this have to do with the Charlie thing?", he replies. "Just kiss me", I find myself repeating. His lips touch mine, soft and delicate. He pushes me away. "Why am I doing this?", he asks himself. "You thought it felt right too, didn't you", I tell him.

"This isn't you, Liv", he replies. "What do you mean?", I ask. "You wouldn't do this, what is going on with you?", he replies. "Wen, I'm fine, it's just...that felt right", I tell him. Wen gets up from my bed and goes to the door. After he closes the door, I realize what I just did. "You're so stupid!", I yell.

I hear an argument between two people. I realize that the two people are Mo and Scott. The words are inaudible but I guess Mo told Scott about what happened between her and Charlie. The door opens and Stella comes in. "World War 3 again", she says. "Can those two stop fighting for a while." The yelling stops and the door opens again.

This time Mo comes in and she's crying. "We broke up", she says, between tears. I go over and wrap my arms around her, not saying a word. We stay in my room for a little longer.

I finally decide to go out to see if Scott's still there. I only notice Wen at the table. "Where's Scott?", I ask. He shrugs. "And Charlie?", I question, looking around the bus. "I don't know", he replies. "Listen, Wen, I have to apologize for what I did to you", I whisper. "No, I shouldn't have given in to you", he replies. "So you have no idea where they went?", I ask him again.

"Not a clue", he replies. I head back to my room, but I remember something. "Can we not mention that to like anyone?", I ask him. "Definitely", he replies. I bite my lip as I go back into my bedroom.

"And he thinks it's my fault and it's not", Mo sobs. "It's Charlie's fault", I reply. Mo hesitates, then nods. I hear arguing outside the door. I peek my head out. "Guys!", I shout. "Can you stop? I have a headache and you're not helping." "I'm sorry", Charlie replies. I don't really have a headache, I just really didn't want Mo to get more upset than she already is. "I need to get out of here", I say. That's when I get an idea.

"Guys, get your bathing suits on, we're going to the beach", I one looks happy. "Come on, I need this, we all need this", I tell them. They still look at me like I'm crazy. "I'll pack some fruit and we can eat by the water", I suggest. I give them pleading eyes. Mo, despite her depressed state, nods. Stella follows her lead and agrees. I look at Scott. "I can never say no to you, Liv", he says. "Anyone else have that problem?" Wen and Charlie raise their hand. "Now, let's get ready and go!", I order, walking to my bedroom.

I search through my drawers."Shoot", I mutter. I quickly run to Mo's room. "Do you have a bikini I can borrow?", I ask her. She raises an eyebrow at me. "Don't you own any?", she asks. I shake my head. She searches through her dresser. She hands me a hot pink bikini top and a black bikini bottom. I look at the mangled pink top in my hands. "What is this?", I ask.

"A bikini", she replies. "Oh I thought it was a headband that went through a woodchipper", I say, still staring at the top. "Ha ha", she laughs sarcastically. She pushes me out the door. I go back to my room and quickly put the bikini on. "I look terrible in this", I mutter to myself. "But, it'll do." I put a coverup on, so no one sees how I look in this.

Everyone is already in the kitchen. Charlie's twirling his keys around on his finger. I grab the keys from his hand. "Hey!", he exclaims. "I've been thinking, I have my learners permit, so I can drive with a licensed adult, and ur...licensed", I state. He raises an eyebrow at me. "Please Charlie", I beg. "Fine", he replies.

"Come on guys, I am your chauffeur today", I say waving my hand for everyone to follow me. "Uh, Olivia aren't you forgetting something?", Charlie points out. "What?", I ask. "Food", he replies. "Of course he's worried about food", Stella jokes. "Food plays an important role in my life", Charlie tells Stella.

I go over to the refrigerator and search through the very little food there is. "Where's the fruit that I bought a couple a days ago?", I ask. I look at Charlie. "Fine", he replies. "We have nothing", I sigh. "A trip to the store is all we need." I look at the keys in my hand. "You guys trust me to drive to the store and beach?", I ask them. They hesitate. "That wasn't a question", I say, pushing them out the door.

I grab my wallet. "I am a very trustworthy driver", I say as I hop in the driver's seat. "I feel uncomfortable", Charlie announces. "That's probably because you're not used to being in the passenger seat", I reply. "No, I think it's because you're in the driver's seat", he jokes. "Is that supposed to be an insult?", I ask him.

"No", he replies. "Yeah, ok", I say, turning the key and backing out onto the road. Before long, I'm turning into the store parking lot. "I wanna do this independently, partly because I don't want my grocery bill to be high if Charlie goes with me", I say, getting out the car.

I quietly congratulate myself as I walk in the store. I go over to the produce, keeping in mind what each person likes. I like grapes, and I know Mo likes grapes. I don't remember if Wen likes them.

I'll get them anyway, I'll eat them. I decide to get a couple of oranges because they remind me of Wen. I text our group chat because I'm drawing a blank.

_What do you guys want? - O_

_Cherries! - M_

_Grapefruit! - M_

_Let someone else have a turn - St_

_Fine, Stella what would you like? - M_

_Can you just get me almonds - St_

_No, I'm taking fruit orders! - O_

_Olivia, a nut is a fruit, or a type of fruit - St_

_Well, now I feel stupid - O_

_You're not stupid - C_

_I know I'm not - O_

_Wow - W_

_If no one else wants anything else then I'm paying - O_

_Kk - M_

I pay for the 30 pounds of fruit that we have, having to use my card. They owe me. "You guys ready?", I ask, handing the bags to Charlie. "What is this like $100 worth of fruit?", he asks. I giggle. "It would have been $300 worth of fruit and junk if you went with me", I flick him on the shoulder. I turn the key.

Mo rolls the window down when we get near the coast. "Summer breeze", she exhales. "Not really because it's October", Stella replies. I see Mo make a face at Stella in the mirror. "Where do I park?", I ask Charlie. He points to the right. "You know, I did pretty well", I tell the others. They ignore me. "At least I didn't hit any pedestrians." Charlie puts his arm around me as the group begins down to the beach.

Mo takes the blanket out of her bag and lays it down on the sand. "The sun makes me look bad today", Mo blurts out randomly. "You look better than the sun today", Wen replies. "That didn't make any sense, but it weirdly did at the same time", Stella laughs. Mo takes off the coverup that she'd been wearing.

"Why don't you take yours off", Charlie teases me, poking me in the stomach. "You guys go, I'll be here enjoying my grapes", I say, picking up the fruit. "Lame", Stella says, heading to the water. Mo follows Stella, but Wen, Charlie, and Scott stay. "Go on guys", I tell them. "Fine", Wen and Charlie reply. I look over at Scott. "You go too", I order him. "Nah, I don't feel like it", he replies.

A pause. "Why did you break up with Mo?", I ask him. "Why _didn't_ _you_ break up with Charlie?", he asks. "Because I believe in second chances", I reply. "And you should too." He doesn't say anything.

I see Charlie and Wen heading for me. Probably trying to get me in the water. I take my coverup off. When they reach me, Charlie grabs my legs and Wen grabs my arms. "No, don't you dare", I warn. I know exactly what they're doing. "If you love me, you wouldn't do this", I say, as they start swinging me back and forth. Before I know it, I'm being thrown into the water.

I surface the water to see their laughing faces. "You guys are going to be dead men", I scold. "Charlie, I shouldn't have forgiven you." That makes him shut up. He puts on the Charlie Delgado Puppy Dog Face. I trudge back up and glare at the two of them. I walk back up to my towel and plop down. Scott opens his mouth.

"Don't say a word", I wave my finger. "At least you went in", Scott half-smiles and shrugs. I cross my arms, resembling a 4-year-old when they don't get their way. Stella and Mo walk over to me, they were originally wading in the water. "What happened to you?!", Stella exclaims. I open my mouth but Scott answers first. "The boys threw her in", he replies.

I glare at Charlie and Wen as they're still cracking up. Mo and Scott look at each other for a moment. I give Scott a pleading look. "Can I talk to you?", Scott asks Mo. She hesitates but then nods. "Drama", Stella mutters, when Mo and Scott are out of earshot.

Charlie and Wen walk toward me. "We call a truce", Wen says. "I'm sorry", Charlie whispers. "Who's idea was it?", I ask. Wen and Charlie both point at each other. I sigh. "You know what I don't care anymore", I mutter.

After the fiasco with the water, we decided to have a nice fruit picnic. Wen drops a bomb. "So...I told Shelby that we would meet at the pizza place tomorrow", he announces. I choke on my grape. "Why?", I ask when I get done coughing. "Why not?", Wen asks. "She wants to formally meet you all." He looks at me.

"Especially you, Liv", he says. I cringe. "Tomorrow, you said?", I ask. He nods. I put on a fake smile. "Yay", I say, with extra fake enthusiasm. "Great", Wen smiles. It's like he doesn't care that he cheated on his own girlfriend. He catches my eye and winks. I focus my attention on peeling an orange.

I notice Scott has his arm around Mo, so I assume they patched things up. Stella sighs and lays back on the sand. "I'm bored", she declares. I poke her. "Aww does little Stella wanna go back?", I tease. She nods. Everyone else nods as well. "Yes, I get to drive again", I giggle.

Charlie takes the keys out of my hands and stands up. I hate that he's exactly 6 inches taller than me. I hate it, even more, when he raises his arm over his head so I can't reach whatever he's holding. He tosses the keys over to Wen and he stands up. Wen's worse, he's 8 inches taller than me.

"Come on, guys", I whine, as I look from Charlie to Wen. Wen tosses the keys back to Charlie. "What are you gonna do? Fight me with your little girl fists?", Charlie teases. "I can bite you", I reply. "Uh oh", Wen says. "Kinky!", Stella exclaims. "I drive and that's final", Charlie says. "Fine", I reply, crossing my arms and pouting my lip. "But I call shotgun." "Not if I get there first!", Wen exclaims, already running to the car. I sigh, not wanting to argue with him.

All of us walk to catch up to him. He's out of breath, sitting in the passager seat. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the only exercise Wen has gotten in a long time", Stella announces. Mo giggles, but I stay silent as I climb in the back. "Seat or lap?", Scott asks me. "I don't care", I reply.

Stella and Mo slide into the two empty seats beside Scott. "Great", I mutter. "Don't make any moves on my girlfriend, Scott", Charlie warns him. "Yes sir, just don't make any moves on my girlfriend", Scott replies. Stella and Wen "Oooh" and I just lay back, embarrassed.

The ride actually took less time than before, granted I rested my eyes and laid my head against Scott, I hope he didn't mind. Mo bolted out of the car as soon as Charlie parked, saying she had to update her feed. I feel sick, I just wanna have a nice relaxing evening, hopefully, it's just a carsickness thing. I'm about to head to my bedroom when Scott calls my name. "Hey, Liv thanks for you know the talk you gave me", he starts to say.

"Uh...yeah, no problem", I reply. "It really means a lot to me", he says. "Don't blow it up this time Scott, you and Mo are like the ultimate couple", I reply. "Are you ok? You look like Death killed you", he studies me._ I feel like it too._ "I'm just tired", I reply, heading to my bedroom once again. Now let's rest up so I can go see Shelby tomorrow...fun?


	17. Fate

As soon as I open my eyes I get a sudden urge to throw up. I rush to the bathroom and dispose of everything that I ate from the past few days. I probably just woke everyone up, because as I've found out previous times, the tour bus has thin walls.

Mo appears in the doorway and holds my hair back. Why do I automatically become the helpless one of the band? Seriously! First, the Halloween Bash and now this. Mo urges me to get back to bed. Usually, I would argue with her.

After 10 minutes of laying in my bed, snuggled against my stuffed cat, the door opens. Mo enters with a tray of whatever, and sets in on the foot of the bed. "It's not much, I had Scott run to the store", she whispers. "Noo Mo! Who else did you wake up?", I ask. "Scott was happy to do it", she replies. I roll my eyes. Of course he was. "I'll come back in a few to see how you're feeling", Mo says, leaving my room.

Listen. I'm not one to take naps, not now, not ever. So when Mo creeps into my room, like 10 minutes after she came in last time, I sit up. "Are you feeling better?", she asks. "Not really", I reply. "Well, we're heading to go meet Shelby in a few", Mo says. "Can you send Wen and Charlie in, pretty please", I reply, before putting the blanket over my face.

A little light shows through the blanket before I take it off of myself again. Charlie puts his hand on my forehead. He pulls it and back and starts shaking it like he just burnt himself. "That bad, huh?", I whine. "I'm sure it's not that high", Wen says, coming over and putting his hand on my forehead like Charlie did.

"Wow", Wen says, pulling his hand away. I whine as I put my hand up to my forehead. Sure enough, it feels like the core of Earth at its hottest. "I'll stay if you want me to", Charlie says. I shake my head. "Go, have fun", I say. "And Wen, tell Shelby I really really wish things were different." Wen nods.

Charlie kisses my forehead before he and Wen leave my room. Now that I think about it, this was fate. Call it destiny ****(heh.)****. The fates knew that I didn't wanna meet Shelby and this is what they did. Gave me a break.

Stella comes in and tells me goodbye and to get better, and Mo couldn't help herself because she came back in right before she leaves, telling me to call her if I feel any worse. "Hey, Mo, can you do me a favor?", I ask her. She nods. "Can you report back to me on Shelby?", I ask. She nods again, but then she starts running her mouth so I have to practically push her out of my bedroom door.

I hear the car as it drives away. It feels as if a weight is lifted off my shoulders.

_Mo's POV..._

"God, I feel like my mother", I say, as Scott runs his fingers through my hair in the backseat. Scott, Stella, and I are in the backseats while Wen took shotgun. "An excellent mother", Scott replies. I lay my head on his shoulder. "I'm just worried about her", I sigh. "Is that normal?"

"Well, since our little venture, that we call a tour, we've become closer...like a family", Stella declares. "So...yes, it's normal." "It's just the only time I've seen her like this was the night we played at the Halloween Bash, and I guess I feel bad for her", I reply.

The next 10 minutes as we drive to the pizza place are filled with silence. We pile out of the car. Wen almost seems giddy with excitement to see Shelby. Aw, puppy-love. I remember the days when I got excited just to have Scott say "hi" to me every morning before 1st period. Ah, those were the days.

It seems like Scott can read my mind, because he looks at me with a special glint in his eyes, then he kisses the top of my head. I feel like we're finally in a good place. Even after Scott cheated on me with Jules things just didn't go back to normal.

There were so many times where I thought I was doing something wrong. Like I was the bad guy. But, the band assured me that Scott was the one to blame. I told them all about it when I wrote: "She's So Gone". They were all really understanding, even Charlie, which is kind of weird because before that I figured Charlie was just "one of the guys", you know? The kind of boys that are self-centered and think that they can get any girl. Well, anyway.

Wen practically runs into the pizza place, leaving us in the dust. I giggle. "I have never seen him like this before", I say, cracking up. "It's kinda weird", Stella replies. "Like a parallel universe." I nod as we enter the pizza place. "Speaking of parallel universe", I say, looking around.

"This is like...", I trail off. "The Los Angeles version of Dante's Pizzeria", Charlie finishes. "Yeah." Scott and Stella nod too. Wen waves us over from a nearby booth. He has his arm around a girl. Shelby, of course.

Wen lets her out so she can go on a hugging spree. Which she does. She seems more excited than Wen is. Charlie, Scott, and I slide in the booth, Charlie farthest to the wall, and Wen, Shelby, and Stella slide into the other side, Wen farthest to the wall.

"I'm really disappointed that Olivia wasn't able to come", Shelby says, looking at Wen, disappointedly. "Yeah, I know, she was really looking forward to this", Wen replies. Shelby puts a piece of her hair behind her ear.

Her hair was the first thing I noticed about her. It's kind of like a brown fading into blonde, ombre effect. It's disgusting. Why ruin your hair like that! Bleach is the top reason for damaged hair. That right there makes me have an awful opinion on here. You're welcome, Olivia.

_Stella's POV..._

This girl. This girl I can relate to her. Also, I love her hair! It has kind of this brown/blonde ombre effect and I'm living for it. In some ways, it's like mine, but like way longer. In conclusion, I like her and Wen made the right choice.

_Charlie's POV..._

Yeah, I can't figure this girl out. I'm trying to tell if she's just using Wen, or she's actually in love with him. Like how I'm really in love with Olivia. I just wish she were here. Maybe I should call her. No, she's probably sleeping. But, she might be feeling worse. But she would've called one of us by now. Wait, what was I talking about again?

_Scott's POV... _

This girl is smoking hot! Hot damn! I honestly don't care that Mo's right next to me. I have the right to have an opinion on her. But once again, this girl is HOT.

_Stella's POV..._

I don't know if Mo has noticed, but Scott is checking out Shelby. Like really checking her out. I kick Mo under the table. "Ow!", she suddenly says. I nod my head toward the bathroom. She rolls her eyes. I get up, then Mo gets up. "Can you guys just order for us?", I ask. "Yep", Charlie replies. "One slice of meat lover's right, Stella?" He cracks up. I stick my tongue out at him.

"Charlie, you know I'm a vegetarian", I reply. He rolls his eyes. "I'm kidding", Charlie replies. "Yeah, uh-huh", I say, before dragging Mo into the bathroom.

"What was that for!", she asks. "Do you see what's happening out there!", I exclaim. "Wen finally found love", she replies. "Isn't it great, now he won't be fawning over Olivia." "No", I say, shaking my head.

She gives me a confused look. "Your boyfriend is practically undressing Shelby with his eyes!", I exclaim. There's no sign of a mood change. "Mo did you hear what I just told you?", I ask, waving my hand in front of her face.

"Oh, Stella", Mo replies, putting her hand on my shoulder. "I love you, but don't you know how a teenage boy's mind works? God, you can be so oblivious." Yeah, I can be the oblivious one. "It's not like he's going to cheat on me again, we're past that", she adds. "Now, can we go back out? I'm starving." I nod, uneasily.

I slide into the booth next to Shelby. Mo slides in the booth across from me. She casually puts Scott's arm around her shoulders. Subtle.

_Charlie's POV..._

About 1 hour into our "meeting", heh I guess you could that, but it sounds so...I don't know, formal like I'm a businessman. Actually, I digress, I am a businessman. Anyway, back to what I was saying, it's about an hour into our "get together", I ate all of my pizza and some of Stella's, oh and some of Mo's. And I'm still hungry.

"So, my sorority is putting on a Halloween party next weekend, I know it's a little last minute but I would really like it if guys could come", Shelby says. "I don't think we have anything planned", Wen replies. He looks around at all of us and we all nod.

She smiles. "Well, it's a costume required party, so make sure to wear you're best Halloween costume", Shelby adds. Yeah, that's the only thing that's happening at this very moment.

Actually, I just lied. Wen just kissed Shelby. Talk about PDA, am I right? Speaking of PDA, Olivia doesn't even want DA. Listen, don't get me wrong, I love Olivia to death, but sometimes a guy just wants to kiss his girlfriend.

I really don't wanna go on a rant right now, but everything is pretty chill right now. Except, Stella has been giving Scott the evil eye since the food came. I don't really wanna get in the drama, but I suspect it's because of the once-over Scott's been giving Shelby ever since he laid eyes on her. Stella clears her throat.

"Sorry to end this "lovefest" short, but I think we should be heading back to Olivia", she says. Wen gives her a look as if to say "What the heck!". I kick him under the table. "Uh, yeah I guess we should", he says, through clenched teeth. Shelby pouts her lip. "I'm sorry", Wen says, going in to kiss her again. Yucky.

We're finally able to leave after a lot of goodbye kisses. I was about to just leave Wen there. "You'll see each other again", I tell Wen, patting him on the back. "I have something to tell you guys when we get into the car", Stella says. "Is Stella finally gonna reveal her deepest darkest secrets?", I ask, raising an eyebrow. "In your dreams, Delgado", Stella replies, lightly punching me in the shoulder.

_Olivia's POV..._

I did it. I finally took a decent nap. I honestly don't know how long, but I feel refreshed now. I don't feel 100% better, but oh well.

I hear the bus door open, so apparently they're home. Stella and Mo quietly open the door, thinking I'm still asleep. Ha, little did they know.

"Hey gang, how are we feeling?", I ask, sitting up. "Someone seems to be feeling better", Mo replies. "I took a nap", I say, shrugging. "So what happened?" "I didn't really like her", Mo replies. "I loved her", Stella says. Mo glares at her.

"In other news, Shelby's sorority is having this Halloween party next weekend and we're going", Mo says. I roll eyes. Mo, I guess, pretends not to notice.

"Oh, and in other other news, turns out our little Stellbell has a special someone too", she adds. "Oh my god! Spill! What's her name*********?", I ask her. "Her name is Gina and she's 17 and I met her at a grocery store", Stella replies. I squeal. I'm so happy for her.


	18. Halloween (Party)

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="0d6377567c7eae8434f758c006036d89"By now, I feel completely better, which is horrible. I didn't even volunteer for this Halloween party. But, anyway, what's that quote? Isn't it like "Might as well make the best of it"? Anyway./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="9ce6d4bbbc8cb0bc9430edb9de794fbe""We can either be a couples costume or individual", Charlie says, playing with my foot. We're in the living room area. I have no idea where everyone else is. "I don't know honestly, I've never dressed up for Halloween", I reply. He stops playing with my foot and looks at me. "What?", he asks. "Did you just say?" "I never bothered to dress up for Halloween", I reply. "I never went trick-or-treating, it was too hard for Gram."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="92758c5caaea491d710f3e8b32324a89""So no sheets over your head to look like a ghost?" I shake my head. "No cat costume?" I shake my head again. "Huh." "What did you ever dress up as?", I ask him. "Well, let's see, there was this one time where I went as Spiderman, another time I was Batman", he replies. "So you only went as superheroes?", I tease. "No, this one time I went as the Pink Power Ranger", he style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;" (Kimberly is quaking!)/span/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="30e072a71dac1f380c3d95a4e11ae5af"I look at him and giggle. "Don't ask", he says. "Wasn't planning on it", I reply./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="e6a7b69fe823193c2ede92d92b7f33b3"Stella practically runs into the living room. "Guys! I have news!", she exclaims. "You're pregnant!", Charlie guesses. The whole living room goes silent. You can probably hear a pin drop at this very moment./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="d38b133200fa95775f0bd728d5eaa07f"Stella looks Charlie dead in the eye. "Oh my god, why would you say something like that?", Stella asks him. Charlie shrugs and smiles his goofy grin. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="0f9eb5777c2564d7bf9bea257f584015""So what's the news?", I ask. "Oh, I know what I'm going as for the Halloween Party", Stella replies. "So...", Charlie says. She does a drumroll with her fingers. "...Catwoman!", she exclaims./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="d4e1851d5ac60fd8462d695fb477a862""Wait, why?", I ask her. "Because, Olivia, Catwoman is sexy", Stella replies. "But, why, you already have a girlfriend", I reason. "Aw, poor, sweet, innocent Olivia, having a girlfriend doesn't matter", Stella replies. "It's the fun you have when the girlfriend isn't around that matters."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="f32b9bfe5a23dbd98410300f3a78f329""She has a point", Charlie says. I slap him on the arm. "What?! It's not like I've ever done something like that!", he says, defensively. "I'm just agreeing with our friend, Stella, here that we should be allowed to live on the edge once in a while."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="317781167705b185caeeb29b107388e5"Stella flops down on the couch next to us. "So did I interrupt anything?", she asks, smiling mischievously. "Nope, we're just trying to figure out our Halloween costumes", Charlie replies. "Woody", Stella says./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="8b14ade7e0d8fa48618e50ea307e5de7""Wait what?", Charlie and I ask in unison. "You know, Woody and Bo Peep from Toy Story", Stella replies. "It's kinda meant to be." "That's it!", Charlie exclaims, jumping up from the couch. "What do you think, Liv?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="5aa726e51dc05dd14564f5ce44fbda3d""I guess I'm Bo Peep", I say, smiling. "Awesome!", Stella replies. "Glad I could contribute to this, see you guys later." With that, Stella leaves./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="07755b89ed112095f20fba24b35daff0"em style="box-sizing: border-box;"The day of the party.../em/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="4d28eb1fd3e4e686488ade84a086678f""This dress does not do me wonders", I sigh in the mirror. Charlie calls me from the kitchen. "I'M COMING! HOLD ON", I yell back to him./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="dda0dfd00e200b6a277f3f3eb386e97a"I walk out into the kitchen with my head down. "Oh my god! Livy!", Mo exclaims. "You look adorable!" I look up from the ground./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="7f53a3e1eb6117c9118a7d4f1d45f42b"We didn't tell each other what we were going as (besides Stella, because she couldn't wait). "Mo! You're...", I say, tilting my head. "Katniss Everdeen", Mo replies. "You know, The Hunger Games."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="8cbfb0627a925842859cb2c8e0b13c49""Oh! Yeah!", I exclaim. "You look hot!" "Thank you", she says, twirling around. "What about me?", Charlie asks, copying Mo's twirl./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="d92a374b12ebfb47dd03263a8b27f541""You look...adorable", I reply. And he does, he looks like a real cowboy from the Wild West, but also like a little baby. "Howdy, Peep", Charlie says, in a Texan accent, tipping his hat. "That's Bo Peep to you", I reply, kissing him on the cheek. "Hey, Mo, where's Scott?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="41c77d8c0871071d7c4807be45fd3b37""Oh, you mean Peeta", Mo replies, smirking. Scott comes out from the bathroom. "Oh my!", I exclaim. "Hot, right?", Mo asks. "No offense, Scott, but you're making Peeta look bad", I say, giggling./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="62817edf204db403d9eda865d32318a5""Nah, it's fine, Josh Hutcherson is way hotter than me", Scott replies, chuckling./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="25c452a544bf624f8b38ba2a2aab4779""Guess who it is!?", Stella exclaims, running into the kitchen. "CATWOMAN!" "Ok, why are you so happy?", I ask her. "BECAUSE I'M CATWOMAN!", Stella replies. "Ok, everyone's all here but one person...", I say, ignoring Stella's hyperness. "Where's our redhead?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="5ae6ca0d7100281fb5e6148915115daf""Right here", Wen replies, coming into the kitchen. "Humiliation and all." "Ron Weasley!", I exclaim. Everyone should know who Ron Weasley is, but I might be a slight Potterhead./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="2d45f03172f8535416d8158039c2a2fd""So I'm guessing Shelby is Hermione?", Mo guesses. "Yeah", Wen replies. "Dude, you should've told me, I could've been Harry!", Charlie exclaims, a hint of sadness in his voice. Wen chuckles as I slap Charlie on the arm./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="1e263365144b3cb0978a4aa537b4f643""Can we go now?", Mo asks. "Before Charlie gets hurt." Charlie twirls his car keys around on his finger. "Great idea", he replies. "Let's go, gang."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="54ad05972317e96c23d176589df710bb"The car ride to the party might be the weirdest thing I have ever been involved in. Scott and Mo are making out (actually that's pretty normal). Wen's just twiddling his thumbs (also actually pretty normal). But then there's Stella. She keeps making superhero poses, it's pretty hilarious actually./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="5b875847e354c1294d0c41e1af17aac7"After 20 minutes, we finally arrive on campus. Shelby greets us at the door, pulling me into a hug. Ok, I have to admit, she seems like a sweet girl./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="0d24987f66da33f6a6cb7543fdf2f156"Scott disappeared right away. These are his people I guess. Stella also disappeared. Charlie and I are relaxing in the living room area. "Guys, I want a picture", Stella says, coming up to Charlie and I. "Do you want me to take a picture of you?", I ask, skeptically. "No, silly, I wanna picture of you two, because you look so cute together", Stella replies. Charlie and I look at each other./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="130c28fa05bc21dc9952011f09949421"Stella take the picture of us, and then she runs off, looking satisfied. "I need to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back", I say, hopping over Charlie's lap. "Hurry", Charlie replies. "I don't know how I feel about college people." I giggle and kiss his cheek before making my way to the bathroom./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="7e0723eda50c99a9ded9a67b70097fa9"Surprisingly, there's no line. I open the door, and it's kind of dark, there's only light flooding in from the hallway. "Occupied!", a male voice yells. em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Well, looks like I just interrupted a make-out session/em. em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Wait is that...Scott? /em"Yeah!", a female voice adds. em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Shelby? No, it can't be. /emI quickly shut the door and head to find Stella./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="5bd6cc07e24d8824fa51fae369e4958c"I find Stella talking to a girl (no surprise) by the pantry. "Stella", I say, tapping on her shoulder. She ignores me. "Catwoman", I try, tapping on her shoulder again. She turns around with a smirk. "You rang?", she asks, still smiling. "Stella, I just saw, well actually I heard, Shelby and Scott making out in the bathroom", I reply. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="4f298c5a898543c99f4f8acff93e0255"She doesn't seem to react in the way I thought she would. She just slowly nods. "Wait, you heard them?!", she exclaims. "Yeah...wish I could take it back", I say, shuddering. "Well...what do you wanna do?", she asks. "I wanna go back to the bus", I reply. "Ok, I'll round up the troops", Stella says. "Wait, I'll come with you, I know how you can be a blabber-mouth sometimes", I reply, following her. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="78baa2d9f9b9020c166108e64d64829a"We locate Wen right away, leaning against the wall, observing people. "Hey", Stella and I say in unison. "Hey, have you guys seen Shelby?", Wen asks. Stella and I look at each other, and then at Wen, shaking our heads. "But...we need to go", I tell him. "Why?", he asks, skeptically. /p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="d0a7a616508ecdf75b6771bcd12fbf48""Because Olivia's having...uh lady issues", Stella replies. I silently kick her in the leg. "Yeah...it's uh...really bad", I say, looking at the floor. "Would you mind getting the others?", Stella asks. "I'm going to take Olivia to the car."/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" data-p-id="3af563a97f14eef3e4a75d32519bf6b2"10 minutes later, all 6 of us are in the car, heading back to the bus. I'm leaning my head against the window, hoping not to make conversation with either Scott, Mo, or Wen. "Hey, what's wrong, Bo?", Charlie asks. "You look like you've lost your sheep." "Lady issues", Wen replies for me. em style="box-sizing: border-box;"Well, I'm not sure about "lady" issues, but I'm definitely having some kind of issues. /em/p 


End file.
